


The Devil and the Touga

by Nicole Premier (MistressArachnia)



Series: The Prince and the Touga series [2]
Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-, Togainu no Chi
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blood Drinking, Blood Magic, Cat Ears, Corporal Punishment, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dark Past, Devil of Fear, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreams vs. Reality, Dreamscapes, Edging, Fear Play, Horror, Incubus Nano, Lamento-verse, M/M, Mages, Mystery, Necromancy, Necrophilia, Neko versions of TnC characters, Night Terrors, Power Bottom, Public Humiliation, Rape, Revenge, Rough Sex, Sacrifice, Sexual Slavery, Sleep Paralysis, Smut, Switching, Uke Nano, Uke Shiki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-04-23 11:26:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19150078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressArachnia/pseuds/Nicole%20Premier
Summary: Shiki thought he had everything going for him... until the last person he wanted to see showed up on his doorstep, turning all of his dreams into nightmares.This is the behind the scenes story of the TnC characters from SonicoSenpai's fairytale Lamento/TnC crossover AU "The Prince and the Touga."





	1. The Messenger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SonicoSenpai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicoSenpai/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Prince and the Touga](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16422674) by [SonicoSenpai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicoSenpai/pseuds/SonicoSenpai). 



> This story is a little different from my usual TnC fare. It was written as a side story to SonicoSenpai's "The Prince and the Touga" and begins at the end of chapter 9 in her story, right after Leaks and Shui interrupt Shiki in the process of assaulting and abusing Prince Konoe.
> 
> In SonicoSenpai's story (which you should go read, if you haven't already), Leaks and Shui are the rulers of the fairytale kingdom of Sisa, and Konoe is the crown prince. It is a custom in Sisa that if the crown prince is born a Sanga, he must be kept pure until he undergoes a tradition whereby he is courted by the chosen champion Touga of each of the other kingdoms. Each suitor is given one day and one night to spend with the prince. They test their compatibility in battle by fighting together in the arena, then later that night they test their compatibly in bed, where the prince is required to submit to anything sexual the Touga desires and must do his best to please him, lest he be punished for disobedience.
> 
> The TnC characters in this verse are all Meigi cats. Shiki initially arrived as Meigi's champion, and when it was his turn to court the prince, brutally abused Konoe both in the arena and in the bedroom. But later that night, a messenger from Meigi arrived claiming to be the "true" champion, informing them that Shiki was an impostor. Shiki's tryst with Konoe was interrupted and the prince was taken away by Rai for some much-needed TLC.
> 
> Nano, who showed up mysteriously late, has been named the "true" Meigi champion. Konoe is now safe from Shiki, but must go through another day submitting to his new suitor's desires.
> 
> But there seems to be... something a little strange about Nano. No one is sure why he is there. He does not appear particularly interested in Konoe. He doesn't speak much to anyone, and keeps to himself. When he does speak, his words are oddly vague and poetic. He doesn't move like a cat... his ears never twitch and his tail stays flat, which the other cats find unnerving. When asked about the impostor, Shiki, Nano simply assures Konoe that he "took care of him." He's a mystery no one can solve, and there appears to be more to him than meets the eye.
> 
> This story primarily revolves around Nano and Shiki, revealing what is really going on between them behind the scenes. It turns out to be more complicated than anyone expects as the mystery is unraveled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've preemptively added a lot of tags... but I guarantee you this story will get explicit fast. I've never written anything with cat-boys before, so I apologize if that aspect is a little awkward to start. I'm not used to writing cat ears and tails yet. This is also my first time writing Shiki's POV.

It was surreal being back here, in these moss-covered stone halls.

Nano ran his fingertips lightly over the leaves of an old tree fern growing in the castle courtyard on the banks of a small pond. A chorus of crickets sang in the midsummer night’s breeze. All around him, the flickering glow of hundreds of fireflies danced to their music. It looked like the stars above had descended to frolic upon the earth.

He did not remember this pond being here. Nor did he remember the magnificent fountain carved from pure shimmering moonstone just inside the gates. Even the trees lining the forest path outside the castle walls were different.

So much had changed.

But some things were destined to remain the same forever, no matter how much time had passed.

The sound of pitiful sobs cut through the peaceful chorus in tendrils of deep red that unfurled and dissipated into the darkness. How well he knew that sound. No amount of fine wine and soft silk in his saccharine palatial suite could ever erase the nightmarish cries that forever haunted these halls in the dark dripping walls of his memories.

Nano’s long eyelashes lowered slowly, and for a moment he was still.

As if he were praying.

As if he pitied the kitten.

As if grieving for him.

…As if in mockery for his fate.

Another voice joined the first. Comforting. Soothing. His deep tone echoed in the courtyard, though Nano could not make out his words. But he knew to whom it belonged. It was the tall silver Touga with tears in his eyes and leaves streaming through his hair who had followed Nano’s voice in the woods in a blind haste to find him and bring him back as quickly as possible, never questioning further who he was, nor why he had come…

Love could lead one to foolish decisions.

Rai was his name. The sobbing voice was begging, pleading with his suitor. His words were desperate. Terrified. Traumatized. Alone. His cries until now had fallen on deaf ears. No one would save him from what was about to happen. No one could. Tradition was merciless, and he was their chosen sacrifice. Their beloved prince.  
  
Despite his fear, the young prince was begging the silver Touga to take him, quickly, right then and there, outside of his turn… before someone else did worse.

He was lucky. The little kitten had no idea just how much worse it could be.

Nano’s eyes slowly drifted to a single firefly as it landed on the surface of the pond, its flickering light reflecting off the still water. Bright. Beautiful. Admiring its own reflection, unaware its own prideful radiance would become its undoing. It didn’t see the shadowy forms lurking below the surface. It was the king of its own world. Omnipotent. Invincible.

Yet only a fraction of a second later, a giant mouth closed around its body and that brilliant light was gone forever. Forgotten already, almost as though it had never been.

Nano gazed across the waters at the small crowd forming outside one of the rooms. Anger. Shouting. Another fool burning too bright, too fast, hungry for power, biting and clawing, climbing on a mountain of putrefying corpses to stand at the top of their filth, trapped in his own selfish fantasy that one day he would have it all.

Blind to the horrors lurking in the shadows waiting to swallow him whole.  
  
Nano reached into the pocket of his robes for the silver key he had been gifted upon his arrival by the guardian of these halls. In the light of the full moon, it sparkled faintly, reflecting off the still water. He had half a mind to toss it into the dark pond - to walk away, forget it ever existed. How he would love watching that glittering sheen sink beneath the murky waters to be buried under muck and sediment. Perhaps in a hundred years time, someone might find it, corroded and covered with slime and algae… but by then, no one would remember what lock it fit.

Time consumed everything it touched. This place was no different. Nor was anyone within its walls. No one was immune, neither king nor peasant. One day, death would claim them, returning their bones to the earth, just as this castle would one day crumble to dust. Eventually _all_ of this, this entire world and everyone in it, would be forgotten. Erased as though it had never been.

A fitting end for arrogant fools.

* * *

Shiki’s eyes were daggers as he glared at Leaks in the moonlit courtyard, biting venomous words into his flesh.

“What lowlife trash has come to challenge my claim?”

Despite his poisonous tone, Shiki’s mind was turning circles. He had just been interrupted in his private chambers in the middle of the night and informed that someone else had arrived from Meigi claiming to be the true champion.  
  
But who?

This didn’t add up. He was a highly feared and respected mage-lord within his clan. His battle prowess was legendary. Who in _oblivion_ was foolish enough to challenge him? At this hour, no less, just when he had earned this succulent little Sanga’s absolute submission. He hadn’t even wiped his seed from Prince Konoe’s lips.

Who was even left _alive_ to do so?

“I defeated my opponents easily in the tournament - and I can prove it just as easily. This interruption is uncalled for.”

Leaks hardly twitched in response to his outburst, coolly meeting his gaze.

This was preposterous. Not to mention suicidal. Whoever was behind this charade would pay dearly.

But for some reason, Leaks and his lover were both looking at him as though every word that spilled from his lips was a vicious lie. Whoever this messenger was, he had them under his spell. That much was certain.

In truth, Shiki had hosted the Meigi tournament himself, confident that he would emerge victorious… and of course he _had_. He _always_ did. It hadn’t even been a challenge against the pathetic scum who thought themselves good enough to defeat them.

Takeru fell easily to his blade.

As did Tomoyuki.

Keisuke had put up much more of a fight than Shiki was expecting from the sniveling, wimpy kitten. But now he too lay dead, despite the unexpected power of his demonic blood. Likely some mage had taken his body to experiment on.

The slavemaster Arbitro had joined the tournament, but sent his retainers to fight in his stead (a common albeit cowardly Meigi strategy). But even together, they were no match for his power. Gunji and Kiriwar lay dead… though in all likelihood, their master would probably resurrect them. _Again_. Those dumb thugs had died and been resurrected so many times by now that their brains were all but mush.

Yukihito was alive, _barely,_ purely on account of his pretty face, which had fetched a high price at auction. Shiki had been more than happy to sell him off to Arbitro as a new slave while he lay unconscious at his feet. Arbitro seemed pleased with his new toy.

Rin was a fool to the bone, but he was still his own blood. Shiki had warned him not to enter, but the little tomcat didn’t listen. He never did. Still, Shiki hadn’t really wanted to _kill_ him, nor sell him as a disgraced slave to the highest bidder. So rather than deal the final death blow, Shiki had frozen his body with a deep paralysis spell. His little brother now hovered in a state between life and death as a living doll. He’d placed him in his tower as a macabre trophy, away from prying eyes. Rin was much quieter and less of a nuisance this way. To tell the truth, he wished he’d done it sooner.

And Akira… well.

Shiki had decided to keep that feisty little Touga, too… after forcing him to strip in front of the entire arena and raping him over his dead friend’s body. That small fry wouldn’t dare lift a finger against him. He was stubborn and willful, but he knew who owned him.

“I know you won that farce of a tournament you held,” Leaks replied dismissively, “No one’s denying that.”

‘Farce?’ Shiki's fur bristled. _Nothing_ about the tournament was faked. He didn’t like the arrogant tone in the sorcerer’s voice. _No one_ spoke to him that way and lived.

“Then you know without question that I’m the rightful Meigi contender. And I am well within my rights here. You are wasting my time.”

“Wrong,” Leaks arrogantly shot back, “I _also_ know that you altered the rules from those we set in our letter to Meigi and kept the tournament a secret only shared with a select few in an effort to prevent anyone stronger than yourself from challenging you. It’s not much of a _contest_ when you only invite those you know you can easily defeat.”

…What?  
  
Shiki’s ears twitched in surprise.

If this mysterious messenger wasn’t a contestant come to challenge him to a rematch, then… who in oblivion…? Someone who hadn’t even entered?

No one else in Meigi even _knew_ about Konoe’s ceremonial debut, much less _cared_. Pure, unbonded Sanga were rare and valuable in his clan just as they were elsewhere, but most of the other mage-lords were more interested in their research than in gaining combat prowess. If they wanted Konoe at all, it was almost certainly because they’d heard rumors of his beauty and wanted to keep him as their whore. Or they figured he’d fetch a high price at auction as a slave to the right bidder, both for his innate abilities as a Sanga and for his good looks.

But they wouldn’t go so far out of their way just to acquire him. Most preferred to stay in their towers and let others do their dirty work. One Sanga wasn’t worth the trip.

And _none_ of them were any match for him in combat.

This whole situation was completely absurd.

“If this messenger of yours didn’t even bother to _enter_ the tournament in the first place, what makes you think he would have defeated me? Anyone who has _tried_ is now dead.”

Perhaps this whole ‘messenger’ business was a ploy set up by one of the other guests to force him to give up his right to spend the night with Konoe. That made sense. They wanted to eliminate him, since it was clear he would win otherwise. Perhaps they’d caught onto his scheme to enchant the little kitten to do his bidding.

Come to think of it, it was a bit suspicious how Rai claimed to have just found this so-called ‘champion’ wandering lost in the woods. Lost for two whole days? What sort of ‘great warrior’ couldn’t even find their way to Sisa on his own? It was clearly bullshit.

Yet Leaks seemed to believe it, which made him suspicious. He hadn’t thought the sorcerer _that_ stupid.

“Besides the fact that the Meigi council has clearly named your challenger their champion over you, the messenger brought memory stones with him,” Leaks explained in a dry tone. An ominous smirk spread across his lips. “It seems you’ve lost _every single time_ you’ve challenged him. Over and over… I must say, it was quite entertaining to watch… if utterly pathetic. Now I think I understand why you sabotaged your own arena performance by choking our son in front of the whole kingdom before he could sing. You, Shiki, are an embarrassment to sorcerers everywhere.”

Someone to whom he’d lost…? Shiki  _never_ lost.

Just then, another image flickered across his mind unbidden. The blood drained from his face.

But it _couldn’t_ be. Not _him_.

Why would _he_ be here? He wouldn’t _dare_ …

“Yes, it all makes sense now,” Shui giggled softly, “Poor Konoe…”

No.

 _Nothing_ about this made sense.

Nothing!

“I’ve never lost to _anyone_. Whatever evidence this impostor has, it’s faked. If you don’t believe me, tell him to meet me in the arena right now. We’ll settle this quickly.”

Leaks held his gaze unflinchingly, that smug smirk still gracing his lips.

“It’s real. He is _unquestionably_ the true Meigi champion. Besides that, you disobeyed our rules by denying the strongest Meigi combatants entry into the arena against you, which means your tournament was a farce, and your position here is forfeit.”

Shiki rolled his eyes, lowering his ears menacingly. His words came out as a hiss.

“What does it matter who I invited? The Meigi clan’s only rule is that we _have_ no rules. We do as we like, just as we always have. Or have you forgotten?”

Shiki didn’t even try to hide the mocking tone in his voice as he addressed his former clansman.

By Meigi custom, the strong always prevailed over the weak. That was the natural order. If you stole from another Meigi, but still lived, then clearly you deserved whatever you stole. Murdering your opponents by magic or treachery was the traditional way of settling disputes. If you won, then it was obvious your argument had greater merit. The winners in these spats were then free to do whatever they pleased with the losers - rape them, kill them, enslave them, use them as demonic sacrifices or as test subjects in magical experiments. Most other Meigi would never care, or even _know_ about the fate of such weaklings.

“But Sisa isn’t Meigi!”

Shiki turned his head. The sorcerer's Sanga lover, Shui, had insolently chimed in, quite uninvited - a small, pitiful creature suddenly grown unnaturally brave as it hid in the shadows of its better.

“We outlined our rules for all prospective suitors in our letter,” Shui echoed, quite unnecessarily. “Otherwise… why have a tournament at all?”

Shiki’s eyes narrowed and he shot the Sanga an evil glare. The pretty boy shut up quickly, ears drooping when he felt Shiki’s red eyes boring into his fair skin. A wise move, coming from such a weak cat. At least one of the pair seemed to have some sense of self preservation.

Leaks, however, continued to look unimpressed and unphased… and vaguely amused, which pissed Shiki off all over again.

“You insist it is your legal right as per our agreement to do as you please with our son tonight… yet with the same breath, you insist that you are under no obligation to honor _your_ side of the agreement by abiding by _our_ rules. That, in itself, voids the agreement between us. You have forfeited your position, Shiki. My word on this is final. I just hope your replacement has more integrity than an impostor like you.”

If looks could kill, the entire palace would have gone up in smoke. Whoever was behind this treacherous scheme, they would soon regret it.

“You never answered,” Shiki’s tone lowered, fangs bared. “Who the _hell_ has arrived in the middle of the night claiming to be my superior?”

The corners of Leaks’ lips turned up in response. Not the smug smirk from before, either, but a deep, sinister grin. How he longed to shove his blade though those overconfident lips and slice them open ear to ear to make that disrespectful smile permanent.

Leaks was laughing under his breath, as though he knew something the mage-lord did not.

“Your hands are trembling, Shiki. I think you know who it is already.”

Chills ran down Shiki’s spine in spite of himself.

 _No_ …

But the only man the Meigi council would surely name champion over him without contest wasn’t even a Touga. He had no reason to be here. Why in hell’s name would that devil even _want_ to enter this competition? What interest could _he_ possibly have in the little Sanga’s ass?

Hell, he wasn’t even a cat!

It made _no_ sense!

_None!_

It couldn’t be _him_. If it were the man he was thinking of, the cats standing before him would be running for their lives in terror, not offering him a room at the palace and inviting him to fuck their son. It _had_ to be someone else.

It was obvious Leaks was just playing mind games with him now. Otherwise… they’d say his name… something they were _clearly_ avoiding.

Fine. Let them have their petty games.

“I don’t _care_ who it is. Mark my words - he’ll be dead before the night is through.”

Leaks’ ears perked and he raised his eyebrows. Did he think his threat was some kind of joke?

Would he think it a _joke_ when Shiki slid his katana across his arrogant throat?

“Oh? I’ll tell you what,” Leaks smirked. “I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. So I’ll give you four nights. That seems more than generous. If you manage to kill your competition before the newcomer takes your place in the arena and in our son’s bedchambers… _perhaps_ I’ll reconsider your position. That’s the Meigi way, isn’t it? Let the strong prevail… and the weak perish. I have to say, I was always fond of that philosophy.”

“…Don't mock me, sorcerer. What game are you playing?”

Leaks’ golden eyes held a sadistic gleam, clearly enjoying himself.

“I’ll mock whomever I like. It’s _my_ castle. I’m the one who holds the power here. Not you. You’re _no one_ here.”

Shiki's ears lowered, a huff of air escaping his lips as they turned up in an ominous smirk.

…That was _it_. He’d listened to more than enough of this cat’s bullshit. He was done with these fools and their arbitrary rules. There was more than one way to skin a cat. Once they all lay dead, there would be no one left to stop him. Konoe would be his by default. Soon, this castle would become a crypt… starting with these two fools.

Without so much as breathing another word, Shiki reached for the katana at his waist.

Leaks raised his hand.

…The fight was over before it begun.

Shiki collapsed onto his knees before the sorcerer and his pretty boy lover with an angry hiss. Rage clouded his vision. He was bound, shamefully, hands fastened tight behind his back with tendrils of searing light that cut into his skin like white hot needles and drained the dark magic flowing through his veins.

“Hmm…” Leaks’ sadistic gleam had spread to his lips. “That’s a good look for you. I think I like seeing you on your knees.”

Shiki growled in rage and defiance. He vowed then and there to paint the walls red with this arrogant sorcerer's blood. In a hundred years time, they still wouldn’t be able to clean the stains from these stones.

“Since you seem to feel that Meigi’s customs supersede Sisa’s, I’ll also be confiscating your belongings,” Leaks continued. “That bloodstone amulet and that glowing moonstone ring you’re wearing intrigue me. And clearly, I am more deserving of them than a fool such as you.”

Shiki lowered his ears and growled as the guards removed his enchanted jewelry. How _dare_ they touch him like this. He didn’t like the way this trash was looking at him. One way or another, they would _all_ learn respect.

Leaks turned on his heel, hardly sparing the mage-lord a second glance. Shui hurried to catch up, still snickering softly under his breath, as though the whole thing were just some schoolyard prank among children.

After only a few steps, they nearly blended in with the other ghostly figures of guests and servants mulling about the courtyard.

The sorcerer paused, grabbing onto his lover’s sleeve and looking back behind his shoulder with that obnoxious smirk Shiki had so recently grown to despise.

“Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve respectfully decided to withhold the protections normally granted by law in Sisa in favor of following your own customs. I’ve therefore instructed your replacement to deal with you _however_ he sees fit. No rules. No restrictions. I won’t interfere with your fight. Let the strongest cat prevail.”

Shiki raised his head to spit a biting retort back when one of the ghostly figures floating by the pond caught his eye. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, a glint off the fine silk he was draped in, but the flash of iridescent purple when the figure turned his gaze sent a paralyzing chill down his spine. For one brief, terrifying moment, his body failed him. His lips parted, but without breath, no words came.

“I very much doubt we will meet again, Shiki… though I’m always in need of fresh corpses. So who knows? Perhaps I’ll see you soon.”

With a small flick of his wrist, Leaks signaled his guards.

That ominous gleam was the last thing Shiki saw before something hard hit the back of his head, and his vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaks is surprisingly fun to write. I'm starting to like him. 😈


	2. Dripping Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meigi mage-lord Shiki is NOT having a good night in Leaks' dungeon. 😠

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was fun imagining what Leaks' dungeon might be like... not that this is the full extent of it. But I doubt that Shiki is eager to take the full guided tour... 😈

_Drip… drip... drip…_

Red eyes opened slowly, though Shiki’s senses had not yet fully returned. It felt like he was floating. His consciousness hovered in a state between sleep and wakefulness… though whether in a dream or nightmare, he couldn’t say.  
  
_Drip… drip…_

The crackling of torch fire was the only sound he could make out over the endless drip. The smell of rust and decay permeated his senses.

Suppressing a groan, Shiki tried to move his arm. Cold rugged metal scraped against his fingers, alternating with nothing but empty air.

…He was in a cage.

Slowly, the mage-lord turned his head, though he soon wished he hadn’t.

Shiki’s breath caught in his throat, his limbs seizing as a wave of primal terror washed over him. Beneath him opened an empty void where the floor should have been. The pit was so deep and dark that he could not see the bottom. It seemed to drop down into infinity.

When he tried to push himself up, the rusty chain above clacked loudly and the entire cage dropped nearly an inch. His stomach lurched.

Shiki squeezed his eyes shut, trying to still the frantic beating of his heart. Why would Leaks have such a thing in his dungeon? It wasn’t practical. This wasn’t real. It _couldn’t_ be. This was all nothing more than an illusion intended to scare weak-minded prisoners into submission. The Meigi were infamous for using such tricks to fool the senses. Child’s play, really.

The blue glow from the single dying torch mounted against the stone wall near the cage was too dim for him to see more than a few feet into the gloom of the chamber. Red eyes traced the outlines of the light source. He couldn’t tell how large the rest of the room was, or anything else about it. He could barely make out the edges of the pit.

Rusty hinges creaked and the cage swung unsettlingly as Shiki tried with shaking arms to lift himself up to a seated position. He cursed, his voice echoing as he brought one hand to his throbbing head. Another brief flash, and some of his pain dissipated. He supposed he should count himself fortunate that Leaks hadn’t left him here utterly defenseless.

It was a careless mistake on their parts - one which they would quickly come to regret.

_Drip… drip…_

The mage-lord glared off into empty space, trying to keep his body as still as possible to minimize the cage’s rocking. To think - by all rights, he _should_ have been balls deep in that little Sanga’s tight virgin ass right about now. Likely by the time he got out of here, someone else would have helped themselves to that honor… most likely that big silver cat, Rai, who had so rudely interrupted his tryst. Hell, he was probably fucking the kitten right now.

Shiki sighed.

This unfortunate turn of events would make it _considerably_ more difficult to enchant the Sanga as he had planned. Not _impossible_ , but difficult. He wondered vaguely what Akira would say when he brought home his new slave, hissing, biting, and scratching defiantly.

…He’d probably fall in love.

Shiki leaned back against the bars, a sinister smirk spreading across his pale lips. Things weren’t all bad, he supposed. It would be more fun to break Konoe in this way. Of course, until he and the little Sanga were properly bonded, he couldn’t afford to let Akira anywhere near him. He would have to keep his slaves in separate quarters. Akira may have been nothing more than small fry, but he was still a Touga. Having an unbonded Sanga so close would be pure torture, especially when he went into heat. His sight, his smell…

…It would be delicious.

Perhaps he would let Akira watch while he fucked his new toy. He’d _hate_ that. Hell, he hated _everything_ Shiki did to him, but that was what made him so intriguing. Akira was a fighter… and judging by the way he acted when Shiki ordered him strip down in the arena and bend over to offer his ass in front of a jeering crowd, the way he lowered his ears and held his gaze, begging for death rather than lift his hips… it was clear that no one had ever made him submit before. Hell, judging by the state of his body, it appeared the little grey cat had never even been fucked. It was a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.

But Konoe was different. He wasn’t stubborn and defiant like Akira; he was spoiled and bratty. Still, he was so innocent that he scared easily. He wasn’t a fighter. Once he learned his proper place, the little kitten had been quite compliant, despite his fear and confusion… or perhaps because of it. The prince of Sisa had been kept so unspoiled that he didn’t even understand his own body. And that made him irresistibly fun to toy with.

 _…_ Just the memory of Konoe sprawled naked across his lap made him lick his lips. Tears flowing down those sweet cheeks, helpless to resist him, that plump quivering ass bright pink striped with bruises and welts, cock hard and dripping, his own body betraying him as he shot his seed against his will all over the side of Shiki’s pants. And oh, that divine voice… He was beautiful. That messy dark blonde hair grown out past his shoulders, his pale skin that blushed so easily, his slim figure, his round ass…

It was almost uncanny. From the moment he first laid eyes on Konoe, Shiki couldn’t help thinking that he reminded him of someone. Someone he had longed for years to see on his knees crying and begging for mercy. Someone he would give _anything_ to see pinned under him, panting and moaning, gazing up with terror reflected in those violet eyes. Eyes that were no longer empty voids of nothingness as his body and soul were penetrated, again and again, violet-tinted tears rolling down his pale, blushing cheeks as Shiki wrapped his hands around his throat for the last time…

And that brought out all his evil urges.

With the power of a pure blooded Sanga added to his own, that fantasy seemed tantalizingly close to reality. But although he had heard rumors of the prince’s beauty, he hadn’t expected him to look as though he might have been his nemesis’ younger, cuter brother. When the lights were low and his breathy voice nothing but a pleasured gasping moan, it was almost too much to resist.

His only regret was that he hadn’t spread the little Sanga’s reddened cheeks apart sooner, hadn’t split his body open from the inside as tendrils of magic entered him from every orifice to coil around his heart. Hadn’t forced him to accept and acknowledge his true master before he had been so unjustly interrupted.

_Drip… drip… drip…_

…The hazy afterimage of purple eyes, staring back at him silently across the courtyard suddenly flashed through his mind unbidden. His heart skipped a beat.

That was a bit _too_ close to reality for his liking.

…No. That _still_ made no sense.

None whatsoever.

It had to be a trick of the light, something that only existed in his head, put there by suggestion. The sorcerer was clearly trying to scare him by turning his own mind against him, allowing him to imagine his own private hell into being. It was a common, and frequently effective, psychological tactic used to ensure the submission of those with lesser wills.

But it wouldn’t work on _him_.

Shiki growled under his breath. Soon, with Konoe’s power added to his own, he would finally be able to lay that demon to rest. To make him bend to his will. To make him suffer. To make him submit. And, finally, to take his life, spraying the walls red with the morbid stamp of achievement he had been striving so long to obtain. After that, he would be invincible. And then no one would be able to use his mind against him ever again.

The cage creaked and Shiki failed to suppress a shiver. He wasn’t frightened by the sorcerer's petty tricks… not in the slightest… but his heart was racing just the same and he had to admit that he still didn’t like it in here. He needed to get out of this damned cage so he could _think_.

He looked down and his stomach dropped.

First, he needed to dispel this damned illusion. Though he was loath to admit it, especially since he knew it was nothing more than a petty game, being suspended over a bottomless pit with nothing but a rusty chain between himself and certain death was making him a bit… nervous.

Casting a simple spell to dispel the magic enchanting the dark void should turn it back to solid stone.

…It _should_ have.

Yet…

It didn’t.

Disturbingly enough, his spell did nothing whatsoever. And even with the brief flash of light from his fingertips, Shiki still couldn’t see the bottom.

…Perhaps the spell wasn’t strong enough. The mage-lord tried to steady his hands and concentrate harder to cast again… but although the spell flashed brighter, the result was the same.

_Fuck._

Apparently Leaks was more serious than he had given the damned sorcerer credit for. Once he got out, he was going to _kill_ him for this… after he chained him up and made him watch as he raped and strangled that red-headed whore he had taken as his husband.

_Drip… drip… drip…_

Slowly, the mage-lord stood, trying his best not to rock the rusty cage with his shifting weight. It swung ominously, the rusty chain making a disturbing grating sound as metal scraped against metal. The whole contraption tilted precariously when he shifted closer to the door.

Shiki steeled his nerves and began fiddling with the lock. His hands were shaking obnoxiously. He didn’t know the first thing about lockpicking. Hell, he didn’t even know how these damned mechanisms worked in the first place. But frankly, he didn’t care. He knew plenty of destruction spells, and the rusty iron didn’t appear to be all that strong. Another careless oversight. He should be able to blast straight through it.

A flash of red. Shiki stifled a curse as one of his own spells backfired, singeing his black robes.

After a few more attempts, another ricocheted. He managed to dodge it, but the sudden motion rocked the cage, tilting it precariously. Another false move, and he would surely fall to his death.

What lurked in the darkness below? Water? Spikes? Acid? Some sort of creature hungry to devour his flesh and bones? An endless drop into sheer nothingness?

…It didn’t matter. He wasn’t exactly planning to find out. His life _wouldn’t_ end here. Of that much, he was certain.

_Drip… drip… drip…_

Shiki took a deep breath, attempting to steady both his hands and the increasingly erratic pounding of his heart. Emotions were useless at a time like this - he needed to _concentrate_. Otherwise this feeling of impending doom would become all too real.

He _refused_ to contemplate that possibility.

Alas, his hands were still trembling. There was no way he could safely cast, even at this short range. Shiki closed his eyes, trying to force his body into stillness. His pulse was pounding like a wardrum in his ears, drowning out the crackle of flames and muffling that incessant drip.

He inhaled deeply and opened his eyes, vision tunneling to fix on the lock.

And cast.

The spell partially melted the pin holding together the lock mechanism. But before he could celebrate, a few errant sparks ricocheted, one of which hit the chain overhead. His life flashed before his eyes as the entire cage dropped several inches with a sickening lurch. When it stopped, he was gripping the bars so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Dying alone in the darkness, disgraced, forgotten… it was the least dignified death he could possibly imagine.

Shiki had no ward against the horror that was building in his veins as that realization sunk in. He was beginning to suspect that it was no accident that Leaks had left his magic abilities intact, locking him inside this rusted cage that looked so deceptively easy to escape. The sorcerer wanted him to _try_ , knowing the temptation would be overwhelming and the cage would more than likely collapse in the attempt. He wanted the satisfaction of making him dig his own grave.

The next attempt would more likely bring about his doom than his salvation. His entire body was shaking. But there was no other option. He _had_ to try again. If he didn’t escape this trap, his death was certain. He was growing desperate, like an animal caught in a trap chewing at his own leg.

_Drip… drip…_

A cool breeze wafted over his sweat-drenched skin in the thick, stagnant air, chilling him to the bone.

Shiki’s breath hitched in his throat, his fur standing on end as his senses kicked into overdrive and he was suddenly overcome with the overpowering sensation that he was being watched. He sensed something cold and evil lurking in the gloomy expanse of nothingness.

 _…_ Mocking him for his folly.

Waiting patiently… for him to fail.

Red eyes strained to search the darkness for signs of movement. And the sound of dripping was growing unsettlingly louder.

What the _hell_ was that, anyway?

Shiki’s limbs were frozen to the spot, tail stiff and ears alert, eyes darting about the shadows in search of the horror that all of his senses warned him must be there. The continued wet dripping sounds made his skin crawl. It was sickening. His pulse pounded in his ears and he couldn’t stop shaking.

But he saw nothing. Nothing at all.

Fuck them, whoever… or _what_ ever… it was. He _wouldn’t_ fail; he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of watching his downfall. He had to do this quickly, before the madness took over and he lost his nerve completely.

Shiki drew in his breath, forcing himself with his last ounce of his willpower to aim for the lock. In an instant, it shattered. The door to the cage swung wide open, breaking off its crumbling hinges and clamoring into the murky darkness below. An unsettling echo sounded in its wake. He nearly lost his balance and toppled over after, but caught hold of the bars just in time, only a split second away from untimely death.

As soon as his breath steadied, a smug smirk spread across Shiki’s lips. Red eyes narrowed in a mocking glare aimed at whoever the fuck was out there watching. Had they really expected less of him? Pathetic. It had hardly even been a challenge.

Now he just needed to jump as far as possible… or all of this had been for nothing. Glancing up at the rusty chain, Shiki determined that it would probably hold for at least a few swings.

At least… it had damned well _better_. Steeling his nerves, he began to swing the cage. Once… Twice…

When the cage reached the point closest to the edge of the well, he took a deep breath…

And jumped.

Time stopped, and for a fraction of a second his entire life flashed before his eyes…  
  
Solid ground materialized beneath his feet. The mage-lord stumbled, his black tail lashing out to keep his balance.

He’d made it.

Barely.

…But _of course_ he had. A feeling of elation alighted in his veins. Truly, Leaks was a fool to doubt him.

Another cold breeze caressed his cheek like a disembodied hand reaching out from another plane. Despite the fact that it was midsummer, the room was growing steadily colder by the minute, as if the dungeon had suddenly been encased in ice.

The incessant drips were mixed with the sound of something soft and wet. Gross. Slimy. He didn’t like it. Elation quickly faded to something darker. Whatever was out there… it was much closer now. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Shiki’s ears lowered, fur standing on end, eyes glowing in the darkness as he searched, desperately, for whatever the hell was in here with him.

“Show yourself.”

His voice sounded shaky and weak, even to his own ears. He loathed the sound of it.

But there was no answer.

Was he jumping at shadows?

_Drip… drip…_

Well. Whatever. Now the only thing left was to get _the fuck_ out of here.

Shiki glanced around in contemplative annoyance. If only they hadn’t knocked him out before bringing him here, he might have a better grasp of his surroundings.

But as it was… he had no idea which direction to turn. It was all pitch black. He couldn’t just take off running blindly, or he might fall into another pit. He needed light.

Something caressed his skin like soft, frozen fingertips. Shiki spun around, but saw nothing there. The mage-lord backed up, slowly, unwilling to turn his eyes on the darkness as he made his way over to the wall and the only torch in the chamber. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he reached up to take it. The light source moved with him, but strangely, he felt no heat emanating from its flame. Peculiar.

Shiki closed his eyes, listening for any clues or hints of movement as the sounds of the rusty swinging cage began to still. He realized with a shudder that he hadn’t heard the cage door hit the bottom yet. Perhaps he’d been too distracted to notice.

_Drip… drip… drip…_

…Where the _hell_ was that dripping sound coming from, anyway? It was getting obnoxious.

Slowly, Shiki ventured way into the darkness, away from the unsettling noises, tail stiff and ears perked at full alert as he searched the shadows. Even with light, he still had no idea where he was going.

 _Goddamn it!_ He _hated_ these kinds of fucking mind games. This was total bullshit. He felt helpless, and he hated it. _Something_ around here had to be useful. Leaks had taken his sword, his enchanted jewels… he was mildly surprised that he’d left him fully clothed.

But that was a temporary annoyance. It was only a matter of time before he took it all back. That, and _more_. Konoe was going to pay dearly for this injustice when he was through. Blood would pour down the castle stairs like a flood.

A soft, melodic sound echoed eerily in the darkness, making all of his fur stand on end. It sounded almost like windchimes blowing in the breeze, yet the air around him had fallen deathly still. The eerie sound echoed in his mind like a song whose melody he couldn’t place. Yet somehow he knew it, tangled far back in the dark-dripping walls of his memories… and whatever it was, it filled him with dread.

What the _hell_ was in this room with him? He could feel its presence with every fiber of his being, yet the telltale sounds of breathing and shuffling feet were mysteriously absent.

Shiki’s breath hitched in his throat as he took a step back and collided with something hard, spinning around to find himself face to face with the lifeless eyes of the dead.

…But it was only a desiccated skeleton, shackled to the wall, long forgotten. Its empty eye sockets fixed on him, though for one brief terrifying moment, he half expected it to bite him. Given Leaks’ reputation as a necromancer, it wasn’t too crazy a thought. But thankfully, his roommate appeared to be quite inanimate… another unfortunate soul trapped for all eternity in this hellish darkness.

There was something scratched into the wall above its head, crusted with dark etchings: dried blood. Its writer must have scratched the message over and over against the stone until his fingers bled. Shiki raised his torch to read it.

“I am you.”

A chill went down his spine at the vague words. Again, the eerie sound of windchimes momentarily filled the stagnant air. They seemed to surround him now.

…Ghosts?

Keeping an eye on the darkness, Shiki followed the wall until he came to a shelf laden with potions and books - as many as the eye could see in this pathetic light. But that was all. A soft hiss of annoyance escaped his lips unbidden. Utterly useless. He didn’t give a crap about the damn books or potions; he needed a _weapon_. Being trapped in here unarmed and defenseless was playing games with his head.

Shiki picked each potion up one at a time and dropped the vials onto the floor, watching them shatter. Whatever they were, he hoped they were valuable enough to make Leaks furious over their loss. The sound of breaking glass was a welcome respite against the eerie sounds of dripping and windchimes.

After knocking over an entire row, Shiki found a vial that gave off a faint green glow when he shook it, though only for an instant. Useless. He tossed it carelessly towards the shadows in center of the room. When it shattered, it gave off a sudden burst of light, momentarily dispelling the darkness for a few brief seconds.

…That’s when he saw it.

Shiki stumbled backwards into the shelves, nearly losing control of his bladder. Time seemed to stop. His breath seized in his throat. Terror coiled around his limbs, anchoring him to the spot. A macabre vision unfurled before him.

In the center of the room was a naked corpse. It hung upside down from the ceiling like a slaughtered animal, its throat slashed, blood dripping from every orifice. Its legs twisted unnaturally from the hook running through its hamstrings and his arms dangled uselessly overhead in an unnatural arc. Dark blood ran down his pale skin, matting his short, black fur. His eyes and mouth were open in a silent scream forever frozen in terror.

Empty eyes. Vacant. Unseeing. The eyes of the dead.

But the gruesomeness of the scene wasn’t what sickened him. He’d seen plenty of dishonored dead.

He couldn't stop staring at the corpse's eyes.

They were red.

…He was looking into his _own_ eyes.

_What the hell was this?!_

And he wasn’t alone.

A second figure was caressing the dead body, almost like a lover, licking the rivulets of blood that ran down his pale skin and dripped loudly onto the stone floor to run between the cracks in an unholy river. The creature didn’t move like a cat. There were sharp antler-like horns where its ears should have been. Its serpentine tail was devoid of fur, and it moved like a snake.

A devil.

…A devil with purple eyes.

_No…_

Dread dropped into his gut like an iron weight. His breath hitched in his throat, body swamped with dizziness as reason and rationality crumbled to ash and a sickening sense of vulnerability set in.

_Not like this…_

Shiki _knew_ this creature. He was a thing born of nightmares who fed upon terror, the prince of devils, the god his people worshipped, empty of everything, neither alive nor dead, a lifeless shell whose vacant eyes like mirrored marbles reflected nothing but pure madness.

Before him was his sworn nemesis, the one Shiki had vowed to slay so many years ago. The one who still haunted his nightmares and consumed his memories. An unyielding obsession he could _never_ forget. Shiki loathed him more than anything.

Nano.

The Devil of Fear.

It was only mere seconds before the shadows swallowed the demon and his unholy sacrifice, but just before they did, the corners of the devil’s bloodstained lips lifted almost imperceptibly in the vague imitation of a smile.

All of the thoughts drained from Shiki’s head until all that was left was one single overpowering instinct:

 _Run_.

Shiki ran. He didn’t know where be was going. He didn’t care. It didn’t _matter_ , as long as it was _away_. Away from Nano. Away from that bloody corpse.

The sound of dripping blood echoed from the shadows, followed by the faint sound of windchimes in the cool, stagnant air.

Shiki raced along the wall. Finally, he came to a doorway. He didn’t know where it led, but so long as it took him out of this room, he didn’t care.

Beyond it was a long, dark corridor. Shiki slammed the door behind him. It wouldn’t stop the fiend, but maybe it would slow him down. He needed time. Time to think, time to find a weapon… time to escape. He kept running, rounding a corner. Then another.

The door behind him slowly opened with an echoing creak.

But Shiki didn’t turn around to look behind him. He kept racing, turning corner after corner in a mad dash, hoping to lose him. If this were a maze, he had no idea where the hell he was anymore. The dark corridors seemed to twist and turn forever and he still couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him.

And that _thing_ was in here with him.

Shiki could feel the creature with every fiber of his being, a smothering presence who filled the air like smoke and cyanide, knotting his chest as though his breath was being sucked from his lungs. It was cold, so _cold…_

If only he had something to defend himself with. If only Leaks hadn’t taken his sword. If only he had found another in the darkness. Or anything, _anything_ … Surely if he kept running he would come upon _something_ that might be useful. As much hatred and malice as he bore for this demon, attacking him with nothing more than his teeth, claws, and a few petty spells would be pure suicide.

He had no intention of taking the place of that defiled corpse hanging in the dungeon.

The next corner he rounded ended in a dead end. He would have to retrace his steps. Quickly, before the demon caught up.

But it was too late.

A sound echoed in the darkness, so faint that he might have missed it over his heavy breathing and the pounding of his own heart.

Footsteps.

Soft, delicate, with an unsteady, wavering gait.

Shiki found himself looking back in spite of himself. His blood ran cold.

The demon was nearly upon him.

Nano’s empty gaze was unfocused, his footsteps so smooth and light beneath his elegant purple robes that he appeared almost to be floating. Every muscle in his body hung limp, without a trace of tension or life. He was drawing steadily nearer, like a puppet pulled by a string. Silent. Empty. His coming felt as inevitable as the changing of the seasons as summer turned to winter, freezing its victims in a blanket of white.

Shiki tore his eyes away, dashing back towards the intersection, choosing another direction and picking up speed, cursing.

He turned another corner, and nearly tripped over a skeleton lying in his path. Then another. And another… more and more, as the hallway became increasingly littered with bones. They were stacked in the walls, too. The stench of death grew overpowering. Was he in a dungeon… or a crypt?

Spying a door, Shiki pulled it open.

Inside he found himself stumbling over a mountain of more skeletons than he had ever seen, piled one on top of another like so much discarded litter. Memories washed over him unbidden. Only once could he recall seeing so many bodies piled together, though they had been fresher then… lit with an eerie purple glow…

And Nano was standing in their midst.

A deep voice echoed in the darkness, sending chills down his spine.

“…Some colors blend or wash over others. The new shades they produce by merging can be beautiful or ugly. But… if too many are mixed they become defiled, twisting into something dark and hideous.”

Shiki instinctively grabbed a long femur bone from a skeleton and smashed it against the wall until its tip made a jagged point. As a makeshift weapon, it would have to do.

The disembodied voice continued.

“…Your color has been tainted by fear. It oozes from your pores. You have lost to the demons within.”

Keeping his back to the wall, Shiki tried to maneuver over the piles of bones, ignoring the sickening crunch, moving towards a large double door on the opposite wall that he could only hope was the exit.

Finally reaching it, Shiki tried to pull it open, but only managed to crack it open an inch. It was barred from his side. He’d have to push it shut and lift the plank to get inside.

Suddenly his ears were filled with the eerie sounds of slow scratching.

Fingers began emerging from the slight opening between the doors. _Many_ fingers, grasping, clawing, eerily silent. Shiki backed away, horrified, as more and more kept pressing through, moving unnaturally, like so many decaying worms.

If he had his katana, he would have cut through them just to put an end to that uncanny sight. But for now, he hoped the plank would hold. An unarmed fight with the dishonored undead was the last thing he needed right now.

Shiki backed away, putting as much distance between himself and the doors crawling with dead fingers as possible.

“…Even knowing that you stain your hands black, you have surrendered to your fears, grasping after empty dreams forever out of reach… obsessed with the illusion you call power.”

The voice was closer. _Too_ close. Shiki spun around, sucking in his breath and gripping the makeshift bone weapon so tight in his hand that his knuckles turned white.

Nano was standing in the doorway in all his wordless glory, surrounded by bones. Tight lipped, empty faced, and every bit as disquieting as Shiki remembered so dreadfully well. One bloodsoaked arm raised listlessly, as though belonging to a marionette, untying the sash at Nano’s waist. His robes fell open, shed from his slender shoulders like the shed husk of an insect. He was wearing nothing underneath.

The demon made no attempt to cover his body, every muscle completely relaxed. Unphased. No shame. No modesty. _Nothing_. He looked deceptively helpless, weak, completely unguarded: an eerily beautiful, slender ghost of a man with skin so thin and pale that one could clearly see the blue-green veins underneath. His unnatural eyes reflected nothing, glowing bright iridescent purple in the fading light: deep pools of impenetrable amaranthine.

Shiki’s heart caught in his throat, but he found himself unable to look away. Panic began to catch fire in his belly. The foreboding silence between them went untouched, ignorant to the sickening thirst Shiki was wrought with, to take that jagged bone and stab it through the demon’s throat. To silence those pale lips forever, spraying the walls with carmine, burying the creature in this crypt like the empty husk he was.

It was all so simple in the black and white images that played out behind his closed eyelids.

The empty-eyed abomination stood before him so still he may as well have been made of wax. He made no move to either attack or defend, completely unguarded. But his aura was stifling: a suffocating darkness that rolled from the walls and invaded his lungs with a terrifying sense of nothingness, emptying him of everything but pure madness.

Shiki found himself paralyzed, caught up in this terrifying presence like a spell, until those pale lips parted, spilling words in a dull drone like a distant echo.

“…Yet, _true_ power… is something you could never comprehend.”

Terror seized his soul, and Shiki found himself panting desperately, his body moving of its own volition without the slightest regard for consequences. He _had_ to kill it. Nothing else mattered.

Bones crunched underfoot as he lunged at the monster looming in the doorway. But the only thing he made contact with was empty air.

Red eyes darted about desperately in the empty hall, littered with so many bones. Shiki was hyperventilating, unsure where to go, but desperate to act.

His eyes caught sight of a faint purple flame wavering in midair. He ran towards it blindly, following its glow until he came to a large wooden door. He pushed it open, and found himself in a large, dark chamber.

_Drip… drip…_

…He knew this room.

Nausea surged as the flame materialized and he caught sight of the terrified look on the face of the hanging cadaver.

He was right back where he started. All of that running, and Shiki had gone _nowhere_. Now, once again, he stood face to face with the violet-eyed demon. Trying to ignore that dripping. Wishing like hell he didn’t know where it was coming from.

One way or another, this ended here. _Now_.

Those bloodless lips curled ever so slightly.

“It is too late. Your fate has already been chosen. Once something is black, it cannot be dyed any other color.”

Shiki growled, ears lowering as he bared his fangs.

“…I choose my _own_ fate, demon.”

Laughter… distant, hollow, with no hint of amusement behind it. The sound chilled him to the bone.

“Such foolishness… The shadow of fear is already upon you. You have chosen poorly.”

Terror mixed with rage. Shiki didn’t care what happened now, so long as it _ended_. He rushed blindly towards the voice, but once again his attack met with empty air.

The flame wavered. It was as though the demon had been somewhere else all along, standing calmly in the shadows. Behind him Shiki could make out the outlines of the familiar rusty cage he had woken in.

“…Four nights remain. This is the first.”

Nano’s voice echoed in the cavernous room. His words were vague, impartial, devoid of either hostility or comfort… and that scared him most of all. There was something sinister lurking beneath the surface of that indifference that sent panic pistoning through his veins.

Shiki’s vision tunneled. He attacked, rushing at full speed towards his target. Everything else in the world vanished except that single figure and his glowing purple eyes…

He didn’t realize he was running straight towards the pit until it was too late.

Blackness enveloped him. Shiki fell, unable to stifle the scream of sheer terror that rang from his chest as he toppled over the edge of the precipice into sheer nothingness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahaha 😈 And we haven't even gotten to the fun stuff yet. 😘


	3. The First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiki wakes up to find Nano on top of him, naked, no longer sure he can tell the difference between nightmare and reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! We've gotten to the smutty parts! In case anyone doubted that I would really go there. 😈
> 
> Nano actually makes a really good Lamento demon. I didn't have to change much of anything in that fusion.

Shiki didn’t know for how long he hovered in darkness. Time had ceased to have any meaning.

His body was covered in sweat, breath rapid and shallow as he fought for air. He tried to gasp, but there was a suffocating pressure on his ribcage, like something was lying on top of him, weighing him down.

A sickening wave of terror washed over him when he realized that he couldn’t move his limbs. It was as though his arms and legs were made of lead. He tried desperately to raise them, but he could not so much as twitch his fingers. An eerie tingling sensation began to creep in from his extremities to invade his chest. He tried to scream, but his lips would not part.

…Was he dead?  
  
Was this what death felt like? This eternally empty expanse of nothingness…

Shiki couldn’t tell where he was, only that it was dark. It felt like he was floating in a thick liquid. Shadows crawled along the darkness like menacing ghosts, rolling across the void to scrape their jagged claws into his pale flesh.

Something soft and cold brushed against his cheek, caressing his face from his chin to his ear almost lovingly. The faint sound of windchimes echoed and faded in the distance. Or was it in his mind? Something moved in the shadows, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he felt countless hungry eyes cutting into his flesh, watching in silence as his mind faded into delirium.

A purple flame wavered in the darkness, and he felt the unsettling sensation of something slithering up his leg. His pulse pounded in his ears. The silent, eerie shadows crept in closer, squeezing in too tight, too close around him, invading his space and whispering in a language he could not understand. They had the shape of cats, but as they lumbered lifelessly towards him he realized with horror that they lacked any features. Their bodies were nothing more than empty black voids against the night, sucking warmth and light from the room. Spectral silhouettes of pure nothingness that pinned him down with their stifling presence, filling him to the brim with dread as they sucked in black tendrils of smoke that began to unfurl and dissipate from his own flesh.

His soul screamed, but his body was still and silent as the grave.

He realized with horror that he had seen these things before. That night… the one he longed so much to forget… mulling about on the battlefield. They were as vague and purposeless as wandering ghosts, eerily silent and still. They moved unnaturally, disjointedly, their lifeless limbs twisting and contorting in ways that no cat should. As they reached out towards him in the dark he saw that their fingers were grotesquely elongated. Shiki squeezed his eyes shut as he felt those slender digits trace his skin to pry open his mouth. He tried desperately to clamp his jaw shut, but he remained paralyzed.  
  
“Do you feel it?”

A deep voice echoed within his own head. A rhythmic thump began to pulse loudly over the windchimes and eerie whispers, throbbing in his ears. He realized with a start that it was the beating of his own heart.

That slimy thing encircling his leg slithered up his body. He wanted to grab it, to throw it off, but he was powerless as it coiled around his throat and squeezed hard, _too_ hard. Shiki choked, trying with every fiber of his being to move his arms, desperate to claw it off. But try as he might, he had lost all control of his own body. His chest seized, muscles freezing into rigidity under the whiteness of his skin as those prying misshapen fingers continued to toy with his tongue.

The slithering thing hissed, and he realized it was a serpent. It tightened around the mage-lord’s pale throat mercilessly, cutting off his airflow in spite of his mouth being forced wide open. He felt as though he were drowning in his own helplessness.

Shiki didn’t want to admit to the ringing panic pistoning through his veins as the serpent’s tongue flicked against his own, hissing strange words in a voice he wished he couldn’t recognize.

“Has it appeared in your heart? Overflowing from my scales, my tongue, my eyes, my essence. Do you feel me?”

Sharp fangs pierced the mage-lord’s pale skin, pumping thick poison into his veins. Shiki’s mind froze in terror as all at once the cloying scent of death and despair came flooding in to haunt him from the darkest recesses of his memories.

Shiki’s eyes shot open, twin pools of swirling crimson fixed on the looming shadows that so effortlessly sucked out the life of the feared warlord, feeding on his weakness. His fear. The serpent coiled around his throat like a noose, constricting his airway. He couldn’t answer even if he wanted to. Every muscle in his body was burning. His nerves were frayed so tense it felt like they would explode. Reason and rationality were crumbling to ash, and madness was setting in their place.

“Answer me. Who am I? To whom have you fallen?”

Sheer terror overwhelmed him as the living shadows wrenched open Shiki’s mouth so wide it felt like his jaw would be torn from his skull. His breath escaped in a harsh grating weaze as the serpent slid along his skin and his windpipe was crushed.

“Answer me.”

Without waiting for a response, the serpent began to slither into his open mouth, forcing its way down his throat. It slowly made its way down into his belly, cutting off the last of his airflow until its bodily invasion was complete.

Darkness pricked at the corners of fiery red eyes as they began to fade. Terror overwhelmed his senses, the last sensation he would ever feel, every bit as disturbing and terrible as that first fateful night he laid eyes on that violet-eyed demon. The snake wriggled in his belly.

He knew what this creature was, even then.

He was fear itself.

The eerie sound of fading laughter echoed in the darkness… or was it only in his mind? His entire body trembled violently as his consciousness faded, his essence every bit as dark and ethereal as the twisted shadows still lingering above.

He truly must be going mad.

* * *

Shiki’s eyes shot open, inhaling sharply as his back arched and he gasped for air, clawing at the invisible serpent he still felt coiled about his neck, clutching his fingers into the straw mattress that had nearly been his deathbed. His limbs were shaking violently, his body drenched in a cold sweat, and he realized with horror that the pressure on his chest had not been alleviated upon his awakening.

The nightmare was far from over.

Glowing violet eyes blinked only inches away from his own, at once cruel and indifferent, cutting under his flesh like white hot needles to penetrate his soul. Nano straddled him in the darkness, pushing his body down into the bed.

The sheer emptiness in the demon’s face was more than unsettling as he grazed his thumb carelessly across the mage-lord’s panting lips.

“Driven by fear, you have trampled over countless lives in pursuit of power. Now those souls you have crushed clamor and cry out for blood. Your arrogance has become your undoing.”

Shiki’s heart hammered in his chest as his lungs pulsed with wild, heaving gulps for air, body slumped against the makeshift mattress.

To hell with Nano and his goddamn idle judgments and philosophies. He didn't have the patience to listen. The last thing he remembered was falling into a bottomless pit. Was any of that real?

“Your strength streams from the river of dread, crafted as a desperate attempt to swim from your own weakness. But the illusory power you believe you have attained… is nothing more than foolish ego.”

Shiki didn’t have time for this kind of nonsense. Sparks still flickered at the corners of his vision. The glow of ghostfire reflecting off iron bars suggested he must be in a prison cell. But he was no longer certain of _anything_ … beyond the ominous presence of the demon hovering above him and the frenzied drumming of his heart against his ribs.

Glowering up at the man above, Shiki continued to pant, mouth agape as he fought to get enough air against the pressure on his lungs Nano was so graciously applying. His eyes seared with venomous hatred.

“Weakness…” Nano’s lips twisted in a wry smirk as he leaned low, his voice slow, hushed, whispering in a rasped monotone against Shiki's open lips, “…is what made you.”

The demon was close, _too_ close, making his fur bristle. His words were a light gust of breath against the raven’s flushed skin and open lips. He found it deeply unsettling.

A soft flicker of tongue darted out, tracing the mage-lord’s lips. Shiki startled, growling, struggling to push the demon off from his straddled position. The intimate proximity made him suddenly painfully conscious of how little clothing there was between them. To his horror he found that his nemesis was _completely_ naked.

“Don’t touch me!”

Panic mixed with an unexpected surge of arousal as his hands slid over Nano’s pale, scarred skin and that conniving tongue of his slipped inside to caress the wetness of his mouth.

“…I can taste your fear… seeping from your heart unchecked… born that night, when your illusion of invincibility shattered and you became my slave. Now your time has come. Each moment you linger in the shadow of death, my hold over you grows stronger.”

Fuck this. Fuck _him_. Shiki had no intention of dying, and he was _no one’s_ slave.

Just then, the image of his own bloody corpse flickered through his mind, sending a shiver of revulsion down his spine that settled in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know _how_ , but it _had_ to be a trick. Shiki coughed, glaring up at Nano with pure malice reflected in his eyes.

“Say what you want, demon. It will all amount to nothing when I put an end to your accursed existence.”

Nano’s lips curled in a wry smirk. Did he think something about this was funny? Did he dare take him for a fool?

“It is already too late. You have reached the pinnacle you so coveted and tied the noose around your own neck.”

Shiki’s eyes narrowed and ears flattened, his breathless tone honed on seasoned rage and bitterness as he struggled to sit up and meet the demon on more equal footing.

“Fuck you, Nano. Fuck you and your pretentious speeches and idle philosophies. You will _never_ have any hold over me.”

At this, the demon actually had the gall to laugh under his breath. Would he still be sneering when the mage-lord thrust his katana into his arrogant skull and painted the walls red with his blood?

“I _despise_ you.”

Shiki didn’t like the way those violet eyes were washing over him now, and something in the dull monotone of Nano’s voice when next he spoke sent a wave of unwanted heat surging through his veins that set off every warning bell in his head.

“You are _obsessed_ with me… and with everything that comes from me.”

Nano pushed his victim unceremoniously down onto the tattered mattress, driving one knee between his legs. Mercilessly, he forced Shiki’s trembling thighs apart, rubbing brazen circles against the other’s clothed crotch as he drank in the raven's rising fear and crushed pride… and his obvious arousal, even as he fought to conceal it.

No.

Oh _no_.

A strangled gasp bubbled up from his throat, and he clamped his mouth shut, unwilling to let such a pathetic noise seep past his lips. His heart raced, but he couldn’t say whether this reaction stemmed from lust or terror… and for the life of him, he couldn’t decide which was worse. To his undying horror he found that he was half-hard already… a fact he doubted had escaped the demon’s attention.

Nano bent down, voice nearly a whisper as he breathed into Shiki’s ear.

“In your darkest hours, when you lie awake, tossing and turning, unable to sleep… It’s my voice in your ear.”

A cool tongue lapped roughly against his neck, lapping against the raging pulse beneath. Nano pressed his frozen lips to the welling marks on the raven’s neck. Shiki felt his fangs sink into his flesh, and it should have _hurt_ , but the stifled moan that spilled from his lips was more of a pleasured gasp.

The sound both terrified and repulsed him.

“…My memory that haunts your dreams.”

Shiki turned his head, squeezing his eyes shut, grinding his teeth into his bottom lip so hard that it bled, fighting with every fiber of his being against the uninvited surge of lust that crashed over his body like a tidal wave as Nano continued his brazen circular stroking. He tried to push the demon off, but he already knew his resistance was futile. The moment his hands alighted on Nano’s pliant hips they began to race across his scarred skin, desperate for more.

Nano was still placing open-mouthed kisses along his bruised neck, nipping at the tender flesh. The friction against his now blatant hardness was simultaneously too much and not enough, and he found himself grinding into the touch. A moan spilled from his lips unchecked, comparatively loud in the otherwise muted ambiance of the chamber.

“…My touch that possesses your fingers in the dead of night when you think you are alone.”

The sound of tearing fabric filled his ears, and to his undying horror he realized that Nano had torn open his robe, slicing open the buttons on his clothing with sharp claws and wrenching it from his shoulders.

Hands cold as ice traced down the mage-lord’s trembling body, unhooking his belt and sliding down beneath the straining silky black fabric.

…This wasn’t happening.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

His livid protests earned him nothing but silence. Nano didn’t even pause as he continued to torment his aching body with languid precision, didn’t grace him with any more idle musing about the hopelessness of it all, didn’t even bother to mock him by laughing out loud as he subdued the mighty mage-lord under his deceptively fragile body and his teeth found their mark on his sore neck.

Shiki writhed against the body pressing down on top of him, claws digging into the mattress, fingers clutching and knotting the tattered fabric between his digits so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was burning, burning up to his core. He couldn’t do this. He _couldn’t_. Not like _this_.

Yet the moment the demon slipped his cool hand inside the hem of his pants to grasp his straining erection, his body was flooded with a new wave of desire.

Desire… for _this_. For Nano.

That thought repulsed him.

 _…Fuck_ …

When Shiki looked up into the demon’s eyes above, his breath caught in his throat. That purple gaze bored so deeply into him that he felt he was being dissected alive, his body and soul slit open until his most intimate secrets were on full display. If he stared too long into that impenetrable all-seeing void, he might drown, submerged in this scandalous euphoria that had somehow possessed his body. The rich intensity Nano was flooding him with was both overwhelming and terrifying. Even now the demon’s face was blank, uncaring, his eyes empty marbles… and the only thing he saw reflected in them was his own pathetically subdued form.

Nano squeezed his diligent fingers around the mage-lord’s throbbing erection, grabbing hold of the hem of his pants. He slid them down gracelessly, tossing them into the shadows. Forgotten already.

Shiki tried one last time to close his legs against the onslaught of unwanted stimulation, but Nano would have none of it, biting against his lips and tongue and shifting instead to position himself between his spread thighs, pushing them wider apart. Just that small motion made him feel exponentially more exposed.

The cloying coolness of the demon’s fingers had the undesired effect of making him feel exponentially hotter than before, and somehow he found himself writhing into the touch, grinding against his skilled fingers as they pulsed and toyed with his dripping cock, pressing hard into his weeping slit. He couldn’t even strike a fire of any sort of will to oppose him, his mind going blissfully numb as the sickening pleasure took hold.

…How was this happening?

He was going to regret this like nothing he had ever regretted before, Shiki mused bitterly as he opened his legs and resigned himself to thrusting in tight circles against the other’s deathly cold palm. This was going to haunt him just like every other memory of the man above him.

Nano was fully erect and made no pretense of hiding his lustful intentions, his cock dribbling clear fluid lewdly onto Shiki’s muscled stomach.

That _should_ have terrified him.

But what terrified him _more_ was that despite all of the fear, contempt, hatred, and disgust he bore for this demon, some part of him wanted this. Something else was lurking underneath, now risen to the surface. All of his simmering venomous emotions had seemingly united to create a forbidden cocktail too powerful to resist.

He loved it. And _hated_ it. And hated _himself_ for loving it.

Grudgingly, Shiki gave in, and a moment later his hands were all over the demon's slender body, ravenous, starved, scratching, pinching, sinking their fingernails into each and every crevice they could reach. His back arched against the straw mattress as Nano idly grazed his thumb around and across Shiki’s weeping slit. Shiki reached up, grabbing a fistful of golden curls and pulling wickedly, biting at Nano’s lips, trying desperately to command what little dignity he could salvage in this position.

…But then Nano’s touch began to slide down his trembling inner thighs to somewhere it should not.

A sharp, strangled cry escaped the mage-lord’s throat before he could bite it back. He grabbed hold of Nano’s wrist with both hands. _That_ was something he was not prepared to surrender. Never. Certainly not to _Nano_ , of all people.

“Don’t you _dare_.”

The way Nano’s eyes flashed and his lips curled ever so slightly told him at once that his demands stood absolutely no chance of being met.

“You’re mine now. What makes you think you have a choice?”

Suddenly Shiki’s knees were pushed in forcefully towards his chest, his throbbing cock resting against his muscled stomach, and he was left feeling infinitely more vulnerable. A wave of terror coursed through his veins.

“Stop!” His tail reflexively curled between his legs.

Shiki braced his hands against Nano’s shoulders, trying desperately to push him away. Adrenaline surged in a last ditch attempt at survival. Even if the attempt was unsuccessful, there was no way in _hell_ he was just going to lay here and let himself be raped by this demon.

But Nano couldn't care less about what Shiki wanted. All of his uncoordinated kicks and punches got him nowhere.

“Even wrapped in the arms of defeat, you cannot admit that you have lost.”

His tail was moved aside, and something hard and hot pressed firmly against his tight entrance. The reality of what was about to happen suddenly became all too clear. Time seemed to stop.

“You have fallen. You are no longer the apex predator… Now, you are nothing more than prey.”

Shiki’s blood ran cold.

A howl of blistering agony spilled from his lips unchecked, his insides stretched apart in one long merciless stroke. It felt like he was being split apart. He could feel his insides tearing as the most intimate part of his body was invaded by the very same entity he had sworn to destroy. Such irony. His eyes seared with fiery red hate. He felt like he might vomit.

Nano drew out slowly, ignoring the choked sputtering cries that Shiki struggled to keep contained, only to thrust into him with even more force.

Shiki’s vision was shaking. Still he bit, clawed, punched, anything, _anything_ so long as he could keep fighting. As long as there was still some way left to hurt the bastard, he would resist him with every ounce of strength he possessed. He was not going to hand himself over to be ravaged by the idol of his deep seated malice without taking a last stand.

Nano bore it all straight faced as ever, as cruel and indifferent as a hungry carnivore savoring his latest kill, holding tight to the mage-lord’s hips and ramming into his sore ass so hard and fast that he thought he might pass out from the searing pain. Again and again and _again_ …

A moment later, even the small solace of petty resistance was torn away from him as Nano took hold of both Shiki’s wrists in one hand, pinning them effortlessly above his head. Trapped, exposed, defiled, his entire existence had become nothing more than a vessel to sate the sadistic lust of this hollow-eyed demon. He could only imagine what kind of perverse pleasure Nano must surely be seeping from this. Shiki did not think he had ever been more painfully demoralized in all of his life.

How had this happened?

Another surge of pain racked his body as his ass was pummeled, and a terrifying thought crossed his mind, one he never would have considered before now.

…What if everything the demon said was true? What if he _couldn’t_ kill Nano?

What if he truly _had_ lost?

Shiki tried his best to swallow the horrific noises rising from his chest, shutting out just how much it hurt to have Nano’s pulsing cock scraping against his tender insides. He tried to ignore the feeling of his own blood dripping from his torn asshole, slickening the passageway just enough that Nano could invade him deeper. He tried not to notice the mocking gleam in those violet eyes as they traced over his exposed body with that twisted hunger.

Nano shifted his angle ever so slightly, hitting something inside of him that gave birth to searing pleasure beneath the pain. The noise that bubbled up from his chest was too pathetic to dare let seep past his lips.

Shiki cried out in spite of himself as Nano shifted and hit it again. And _again_.

His cock was dripping onto his stomach, leaking clear fluid with each thrust, and _gods_ he wanted this to _stop_. He wanted it to be _over_. Why? What sick reason could Nano possibly have for doing this to him?

Slender fingers swept up in his hair, pushing their lips together almost violently. The demon’s tongue pressed into the cavity of his mouth. He was being penetrated from both ends, and Shiki had never felt more thoroughly invaded. The mage-lord’s cries disappeared down Nano’s throat. His senses were dissolving.

Shiki snapped his jaw down hard against the other’s probing tongue. The taste of their mingled saliva mixed with iron.

Soft laughter echoed against his lips as Nano pulled away just far enough to whisper hushed words against his lips.

“Take it… Taste your fear.”

Shiki was about to spit back an insult, but suddenly, slender fingers tangled in black fur as Nano pulled him close and forced their lips together. Their tongues clashed violently, twining for dominance.

The taste of iron overwhelmed his senses as Nano pushed his bleeding tongue deeper into the mage-lord’s mouth.

The raven’s head jerked and he made a small choking noise as his mouth was flooded with demonic blood. He struggled to swallow it, fighting the powerful urge to bite down even harder on Nano’s tongue as he forced his way even deeper into his mouth. His entire body tensed. He wanted to gasp; he wanted to cry out; he wanted to escape the demon’s control and the drug now being forcefully pumped into his body.

Nano drew away with an ominous smirk, blood dripping from his pale lips as he shifted his position between the mage-lord’s hips. His vision went red as a powerful sense of euphoria began to take over his senses and Nano thrust hard into his body.

“Swallow it all - your fear, your weakness, your pride…”

Everything was flooding together. Pain, pleasure. His head rolled back, body still trapped beneath this crazed demon who was raping him, splitting him in half, defiling him in a way no one else ever had…

…And he wanted _more_.

Shiki was crying out loudly now, and his voice sounded distant to his own ears. Where was he? He didn’t care. His cock was so hard it was nearly purple, throbbing painfully, and he wanted to reach down to stroke it, but Nano still had his arms pinned above his head. He writhed lewdly, trying to stroke himself on Nano’s slim stomach in time to his thrusts, and it felt so _good_. What the hell was wrong with him?

“…Or dissolve into madness.”

The intensity built faster than he would ever have imagined possible, but then Nano leaned back, denying his aching cock even that small semblance of friction. Shiki felt like he could sob at its loss, but he didn’t, he _wouldn’t_ … Even in this haze of wanting, he knew, _knew_ … oh _god_ , he wanted so badly to beat Nano at his own game, to push him down into the mattress and ride him, hard, fast, taking that forbidden pleasure he so craved by force from this creature he despised. Making him _feel_ , respond…

Suddenly Nano reached down between his legs to grasp his neglected cock, and for a moment Shiki thought he might stroke it… but instead the demon grasped it at the base, squeezing tight just as a surge of heat shot through his veins, radiating out from his groin.

Shiki hissed, writhing against the man above him, but Nano’s expression didn’t change in the slightest as he just kept pumping… _pumping_ … and fuck him, even without his cock being touched, it was almost, _almost_ enough…

And then Nano grabbed him with those clawed fingers and squeezed tight.

_Fuck._

It was again too much and not enough. Nano rode him over and over to the brink of orgasm, but just before he toppled over the edge, he pulled him back, until Shiki was a hissing, panting, groaning mess. The next time he did it, the pleasured moan that escaped his lips was nearly a sob.

But he wouldn’t beg. He would _never_ beg.

To add insult to injury, Nano was looking down at him with the most infuriating mixture of idle curiosity and utter indifference, like a bored child watching an insect attempt to climb up a slippery pane of glass on a rainy day. Shiki cursed him, writhing, spitting, unable to move as this twisted demon drove him closer and closer to the edge of madness and oblivion, until it seemed so tantalizingly close he could _taste_ it… only to snatch it away. Again. And _again_.

He was in hell. It was the only explanation for any of this. He had died and gone to hell.

Shiki screamed, kicking, flailing uselessly against this deceptively delicate man who looked so easy to overpower yet dominated and rammed into him mercilessly without expending even the slightest effort. Like it was nothing at all to hold down and violate one of the most feared warlords in all of Ribika history over and over again… and _fuck_ , if only he could make Nano feel like he did, if only he could wrench the most satisfying moan from those bloodless lips, he would stop at _nothing_. If only he could wipe that damn emptiness from his violet eyes…

Nano twisted his hips, and Shiki’s mind went blank. Pleasure surged through his veins… _almost_ enough… but not quite. He could taste his own blood through his clenched teeth, but he didn’t care anymore. His body had become a trembling, moaning mess. He was going to kill Nano for this… but first he was going to force that bastard to fuck him harder.

As though he could read his mind, Nano complied.

…Only to grab the base of Shiki’s cock and still his hips as a sudden rush of heat filled his innermost cavity with demonic seed.

And the only thing Shiki could think was: No, _no_ , it can’t be over, he _can’t_ stop, not _yet_! To his horror he found that he was almost in tears.

Nano leaned down over him. Shiki hardly noticed what he was doing until he heard the click of metal against metal and felt the cold kiss of steel around his wrists. Alas, he was trembling so intensely that his new restraints failed to register. The demon pulled out of his body, a sudden sense of loss and emptiness taking hold as his ankles were wordlessly shackled apart.

And _gods_ , he couldn’t look at Nano, and he wished the demon couldn’t see him like this… Shiki's pride was crumbling to ash around him, but still he held on to what little shreds he could muster. If Nano thought this would ruin him, he was _wrong_. Dead wrong.

The demon leaned down to slope his cold hand against Shiki’s neglected cock. It throbbed painfully in his grasp and he nearly cried out from the intensity. What the hell kind of sick game was this?!

All of a sudden, Nano grabbed his hair, pulling back his head at a more fitting angle to snare his lips. Cold terror rushed over him as he realized what Nano was about to do. Wasn’t this cruel enough?!

But, after all, what did he expect from a demon?

Shiki struggled, trying to spit back the hot blood that flooded his mouth, but soon he was choking on it, and he had no choice but to swallow.

That damned pleasure flooding his veins grew exponentially, his cock standing to full, throbbing attention. He writhed against the chains, and even that felt exquisite. He could move, but not enough to reach the source of his madness. He was trapped, exposed, and vulnerable, and to his horror he found that his asshole was pulsing and contracting from this twisted desire as well, like it needed to be filled. And with each involuntary contraction, he could feel Nano’s hot semen slowly leaking from his battered hole.

And Nano simply watched. Impassively, almost jadedly. Shiki knew he must have looked utterly pathetic, disgraced, but the way Nano was looking at him was so cold and cruel it sent shivers down his spine. And when the demon brushed his hand against his cock again, he nearly came just from that featherlight touch.

He couldn’t do this. Gods, he _couldn’t_. How long would this torment continue?!

Nano’s touch slid up to his belly, and Shiki tried so hard not to buck his hips to chase that fleeting sensation. But when the demon placed his hand on his belly, it felt like something within stirred. Horror washed over him as his dream from before resurfaced. If it even  _was_ a dream. Almost on queue he noticed the shadows beginning to creep along the wall. Or was that in his mind? His heart was beating so fast, his skin moist, his breath shallow, and he couldn’t tell if it was from lust or dread… or some sick combination of both.

Nano stood, slowly and gracefully making his way to the door. Was the bastard just going to LEAVE him here like this?! Shiki struggled desperately against his restraints, hurling a slew of curses at the man’s slender shoulders as he opened the door to his cell.

Nano stepped into the shadows… but to Shiki's surprise, he didn’t relatch the cell door. Instead, he left it wide open.

Somehow… in this state of disgrace, shackled and spreadeagled on this torn straw mattress… that seemingly careless mistake made him feel exponentially more vulnerable. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“…What the _hell_ are you doing…?”

His voice was almost a gasp, and he _hated_ it. At first it seemed the demon wouldn’t answer. And Shiki had to be seeing things, but those shapes in the shadows were drawing disturbingly closer. He didn’t like the way they were moving.

Suddenly Nano turned towards him, like a lifeless puppet on a string. His voice was deep and husky, but his eyes had faded to grey, utterly indifferent. The corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly. As if he was _enjoying_ this.

“…Three more nights remain.”

Before Shiki could so much as think up a reply, Nano disappeared in the shadows, leaving him to wallow in his own disgrace and unbearable lust.

 _Damn him_. Damn him to hell!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Shiki... that was just warm up... 😈
> 
> But c'mon. You were fantasizing about Nano before you even knew he was here. You're completely obsessed. Just go with it.
> 
> In case it wasn't completely obvious, incubus Nano's blood is (among other things) an aphrodisiac.


	4. True Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is quite sure what to make of the mysterious newcomer from Meigi. Nano himself is feeling a bit lost in this setting. Even as memories long forgotten spring to life anew, so much has changed. But some things are always the same... or so Nano thinks, until he hears an unexpected song that stops him in his tracks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I've finally met back up with SonicoSenpai's original fic! If you haven't read the original, I encourage you to do so. It may help you to understand some of what Nano is observing. This chapter corresponds to chapters 12-13 in her story.
> 
> I haven't ever written most of the Lamento cast, so I sincerely hope I'm doing a decent job with them.
> 
> I must apologize to Bardo's fans ahead of time. I don't actually dislike the guy in canon, but in SonicoSenpai's original fic he does some Very Bad Things, and it's rather essential to her plotline. Just think of him as bad end Bardo?

“…You’re up early. Did you sleep at all last night, Leaks?”

The sorcerer sighed, turning a page in the large manual spread out on his desk and reaching for his quill.

“I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.”

“It’s almost time to get up anyway… What are you doing, sweetheart?”

Before he could protest, Leaks felt a soft touch on his shoulder. Normally he disliked being interrupted when he was in the middle of a task, but for some reason he found Shui’s touch soothing rather than agitating. His gentle hands continued down his back to caress his sore muscles, and some of his tension melted away instantly.

“I’m examining the enchantments on Shiki’s jewelry that we confiscated last night. It took a while, but I think I found the one Nano was interested in.”

“Ah, the new Meigi Touga…” Shui sighed, working his fingers into a stubborn knot. “Last night, you two seemed like you knew each other. Your eyes lit up the moment Rai interrupted us in our chambers and practically threw him at us.”

“Yes, I do. I’ll be the first to admit that I never would have expected Nano to be interested in answering our summons, but his arrival is fortunate.”

Leaks closed his eyes, surrendering to his lover’s touch as Shui’s touch deepened to work the tension from his shoulders.

“…I’m just glad to be rid of Shiki. I’m sure Konoe is, too. Poor child… What do you think Nano will do with him?”

“Kill him, I would imagine. But it doesn’t matter. The point is, we won’t have to deal with him anymore. He’s Nano’s problem now.”

“Hmm… Nano is so… well, he’s very slender and graceful, don’t you think?” Shui mused, “He’s smaller than Shiki. I wouldn’t have guessed that he was powerful enough to defeat him if you hadn’t confirmed it. What do you know about him?”

At this, Leaks smiled.

“I know enough. Do not underestimate him. Nano is a _lot_ more powerful than he looks. I’m looking forward to seeing him fight in the arena. The people worship him as a god in Meigi.”

Shui continued rubbing, humming a soft song under his breath that melted away even more of his stress. Leaks closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the Sanga’s hands halted on the spot. A soft gasp escaped his lips.

“Wait, but don’t the Meigi worship…”

“…Demons. Before you ask, yes, Nano is a demon. He’s using an illusion spell to hide his true appearance.”

As predicted, Shui’s reaction to the news was unnecessarily dramatic.

“What?! You can’t be serious! We can’t pair Konoe with a demon!”

Leaks returned his quill to its inkwell and turned to face him directly.

“Why not? There are no rules barring demons from entering these tournaments. Nano has more power and influence in Meigi than any of the mage-lords on the council. His alliance would be _extremely_ beneficial to us. Konoe would be wise to consider him.”

Shui’s eyebrows were knitted with worry. He was always so caught up in his emotions. Such an irrational cat. He wondered why it never bothered him.

“But after what Shiki did to him…! _No_! We _can’t_! No matter how powerful Nano is! Our son has already been through too much!”

Leaks chuckled softly under his breath. It was extremely difficult to refuse his lover when he was like this… and that was part of the problem. To some extent, Leaks had to admit that he was partially at fault for the current situation with their rebellious son. If he hadn’t so easily given in every time Shui insisted on spoiling the little prince, all three of them would be having a much easier time this week. Konoe wouldn’t be so needlessly disobedient, Leaks wouldn’t have to punish him constantly just to get him to cooperate, and Shui wouldn’t act like he was being personally injured every time Konoe inevitably got himself into another mess.

Still, he tried to soften his tone a bit, though it wouldn’t do any of them any good if he wasn’t firm in this matter.

“We _can_. And we _will_. I’m not letting this opportunity go to waste. That’s my final word. Besides, it will be a good experience for him. We can’t keep sheltering him forever.”

“But… a demon?! I don’t think Konoe has ever even _met_ a demon! What emotion does Nano govern?”

Leaks flinched a bit in spite of himself. To be honest, he had hoped Shui simply wouldn’t remember enough about demons to ask this question. The sorcerer steeled himself for an answer he knew his husband wouldn’t like.

“…Fear. Nano is the Devil of Fear.”

As predicted, Shui’s already wide eyes went even wider with alarm.

“Whaaa-! _Leaks_! Konoe will be _terrified_!”

At this, Leaks had to smile. That, of course, was somewhat of a given when speaking of the Devil of Fear. Leave it to Shui to state the obvious.

“Good. That ought to keep him in line so he submits and behaves himself.”

“ _No_! That’s too cruel!”

“It’s not cruel,” Leaks reached out, running his fingers through his lover’s long hair, “Trust me. I’m confident Nano won’t hurt Konoe.”

Shui’s tone remained sharp, edged with concern, though his features softened with just that simple assurance.

“How do you know that?!”

“I know Nano. Besides that, I have some other assurances. It seems he really wants this particular ring that I found in Shiki’s possession. Or rather, he wants what is _inside_ of it. And he knows I’m likely the only one who can extract it for him. So we made a binding contract.”

“What’s so special about the ring?” Shui asked, picking it up, “Is it enchanted?”

The ring was actually quite pretty. The silver band was adorned with leaves and vines, and at the center sat a glowing pale blue-white moonstone.

“It contains a soul. See how it shimmers? Moonstone only glows like this when a soul is trapped inside.”

Shui appeared enraptured with it, closing one eye after the other as if that would allow him to see deeper into the gemstone.

“…Whose soul?”

“I don’t know,” Leaks shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, Nano wants it, and I have it.”

“…He wants you to free the soul?” Shui asked softly, caressing its surface.

“Yes. Soul magic is forbidden, even in Meigi. I don’t know where Shiki got this. Most mages have probably never laid eyes on a ring like this. I need to read up on it to make sure I take into account all known variables, but… I’m confident that I can release the soul unharmed, as per Nano’s request.”

“It must be someone he really loves to come all this way to free him…”

A soft breathy chuckle escaped the sorcerer’s lips unbidden. Leave it to Shui to come up with the most romantic explanation possible, even when it involved demons.

“I doubt it. It’s more likely someone he wants to devour. He’s a demon, after all.”

Shui’s starry eyes melted immediately to a disappointed pout.

“That’s terrible! This doesn’t make me feel any better about pairing him with Konoe at all!”

“Don’t worry,” Leaks smirked, “Konoe will enjoy himself immensely.”

As predicted, the disappointment in Shui’s eyes quickly melted to curiosity. It must be tiring, Leaks thought, to experience so many different emotions in such a short time. Perhaps this was why Shui so often fell asleep when he asked him to do something helpful.

“Huh? Why?”

“…Because the Devil of Fear is an incubus. As such, as long as Konoe behaves and doesn’t give him any reason to do otherwise, he’ll make him feel _really_ good. Trust me, our son has _nothing_ to complain about.”

Shui’s eyes lit up mischievously.

“Nano is an incubus…? Hehe… I _see_ …”

“Yes. Most likely he’ll keep his demonic aura in check and keep up his Ribika illusion spell so as not to alarm the other guests. Or Konoe. They’ll probably never notice that there’s anything unusual about him, much less that he isn’t a cat. He should fit in perfectly.”

“But if he’s an incubus then… doesn’t he survive on sex? His day with Konoe isn’t until the end of the week. Will he be okay until then?”

 _…First_ he was happy Nano arrived, _then_ he was upset and afraid when he found out the suitor was a demon, and _now_ Shui appeared most concerned that their guest’s demonic needs might not be met satisfactorily.

Fortunately, that was another issue that had already been identified and dealt with.

“Why do you think I so readily handed over Shiki when his replacement arrived?” Leaks asked. “He was the _perfect_ sacrifice. Nano readily accepted the offering. I gave him a key to the dungeons to come and go as he pleases.”

“Ohh… So he’s doing THAT to Shiki…” Shui snickered softly under his breath, “Maybe it’s horrible of me to think so, but after what he did to Konoe, I think he deserves it.”

“Exactly. It’s all been taken care of. Now, let’s get dressed. We can’t afford to be late for breakfast. Today is the Ransen Touga’s trial, and after what Konoe endured last night with Shiki, we will likely need to redouble our efforts to ensure that he stays focused on his current suitor.”

Rather than comply, Shui simply remained on the bed with a wicked smile on his lips. Leaks was about to scold him for setting a bad example, when his lover slowly peeled off his silk robe and started crawling towards him on the bed.

“Is he… THAT incubus…?”

Leaks felt a wave of heat wash over him at the insinuation.

“…What do you mean ‘that’ incubus? Get dressed.”

“You know…” Shui smirked.

“Shui… come on now. We don’t have time for this nonsense.”

Leaks stood up, stalking over to the wardrobe. Perhaps if he started dressing, his husband would follow suit.

“…How come no demons came to MY ceremony, I wonder…”

At this Leaks had to chuckle. Shui had been so sweet and enthusiastic back then. If only his son was so cooperative to the process.

“Are you jealous of Konoe? You do realize that if Nano had challenged me for the right to come to your ceremony, then he would have arrived as the Meigi Touga, and you never would have met me.”

“I _know_!” Shui was practically bouncing now, but at least he was headed in the direction of the wardrobe, which was _something_ of an improvement. “But… Nano is a very attractive cat, don’t you think? He always seems so calm, but there’s something _wild_ about him, almost feral… I wonder what he looks like without the illusion spell.”

“…The same, really. He just has small black antler-like horns instead of soft, furry ears. And his tail is black and sleek with a small spade at the tip.”

At this Shui nearly screamed with delight, which soon melted into a soft giggle.

“HE IS! He IS that incubus! I was _right_!”

“What?” Leaks shot him a bewildered glance, “Where did you decide that from, all of a sudden?”

“Don’t deny it! You barely remember the details of what _anyone_ looks like. You don’t even pay attention to whether they are a large or small breed of cat. If you even remember that his tail has a spade, then he MUST be that incubus.”

Leaks blushed, grabbing a shirt from the closet and pulling it over his head.

“…Fine, yes, he’s THAT incubus. Are you satisfied? Let’s get ready for breakfast.”

In response, Shui threw his arms around him and kissed him excitedly. His lover’s radiant enthusiasm was filling him with a disquieting mixture of pleasure and bewilderment.

“This is going to be so much fun!”

* * *

Nano stared in silent confusion at the large assortment of food and drink being placed on the table before him. So many different sights and smells. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all. It was opulent and excessive… a show of pride and grandeur meant to inspire awe and reverence. Such wasteful arrogance. Surely no Ribika ate this much for a single meal. Did they?

He couldn’t remember.

Uncertain where to start, Nano quietly observed as the other guests poured various liquids into elegant porcelain cups, sometimes adding small white cubes. He wasn’t sure what any of it was, but perhaps if he followed suit, he wouldn’t look too out of place. There appeared to be a hot brownish liquid in the largest porcelain container with leaves floating about inside. Dirt, perhaps? There were two smaller containers beside it, along with the bowl of white cubes. One of the liquids was white and fluid. The other was a thick, viscous yellow syrup.

Something felt familiar about this setup. He must have drank these sorts of things while he was still alive. But now he couldn’t remember what any of them were, much less what they tasted like.

Nano chose the thick syrup in one of the smaller containers to start with, pouring some into his cup. It ran slowly, and smelled nice, with slight floral undertones. Its taste when he brought it to his lips was very… sweet? He thought that was the right word. It was pleasant enough. It was more difficult to swallow than blood, but he liked the way it melted on his tongue.

“…Um… You’re the new Meigi Touga, right? The real one?”

Nano turned his gaze towards the voice addressing him. Two faces were peering back at him, their brows slightly furrowed. The taller and more muscular of the pair had black fur, dark skin. The other was smaller in build, with pale skin and bright orange fur.

“I am.”

Nano brought the cup gingerly to his lips and took another sip. It didn’t flow easily and seemed to stick to his mouth, but once it dissolved it left behind a pleasant aftertaste.

“…Do people normally drink honey in teacups like that in your kingdom?”

“…Is that what this is…” Nano’s deep voice trailed off in silent contemplation as he stared into the porcelain cup. Honey… The word sounded vaguely familiar and conjured up rather precise imagery. Something to do with flowers… bees? Was honey made from bees? That sounded right. He took another sip.

The two cats exchanged a wordless glance between them, their expressions unreadable, as if they were communicating something telepathically.

“Um… I’m Tokino.” The smaller cat extended his hand towards him. “I’m the Karou Touga.”

Nano blinked silently at the small cat, following the length of his arm. Was he expected to present him with some kind of offering? He had no idea what. For a moment, he thought that perhaps he should hand him the cup of honey, but this cat… Tokino… already had a cup of his preferred drink mixture sitting in front of him.

“…What do you wish of me?”

“Um…” Tokino slowly lowered his arm, lightly knitting his brow. “…Just your name, I suppose? What should we call you?”

“…It doesn’t matter,” Nano replied, taking another sip of honey. The cat still seemed unsatisfied, however, and continued to look at him expectantly. Not knowing what else he could possibly offer him, Nano handed Tokino the porcelain teacup from his hand that he had been drinking. He accepted it, but furrowed his brow even deeper.

“You’re supposed to take his hand when you’re introduced and say your name,” the darker cat interrupted between bites, “That’s what royal people do. Tokino told me.”

“…Yes, um… let’s try this again.” Tokino picked up the cup of honey and placed it back in front of Nano. He then extended his hand in much the same fashion as he had before.

Nano reached out and lightly brushed his fingertips against Tokino’s. His skin was soft and warm. Alive. The orange kitten blushed slightly at his touch.

“What’s your name?” Tokino asked again.

“…Nano. Most people call me Nano.”

“Nice to meet you, Nano! Welcome to Sisa. This is my friend Asato. He’s the Touga from Kira.”

Nano nodded politely to Asato, who was giving him a strange look.

“…You don’t have to keep holding his hand after,” Asato helpfully informed him, “Unless you want to ask him to dance. Then you have to take his other hand, too.”

Were they expected to dance? It had been a very long time since he had danced with anyone, though the mere suggestion flooded him with strange memories… not all of them pleasant.

“You don’t dance at _breakfast_ , Asato!”

“…Why not? I want to dance with Konoe at every meal.”

“I don’t know!” Tokino hissed, looking up at Nano helplessly. His already pink cheeks flushed even brighter under his gaze, and Nano realized he was _still_ holding the little cat’s hand. He released it, picking up his teacup.

“…You’re not from a royal family either, are you?” Asato asked. At this, a light smile graced Nano’s lips.

“…Time has a way of distorting memory. I have forgotten many things.”

“It’s okay!” Tokino assured him, “Asato isn’t really used to this stuff either, so I’m helping him. You’re the last Touga in line to see Konoe, so you have lots of time to practice.”

“I want to do my best when I meet with Prince Konoe,” Asato explained, puffing out his chest. Suddenly his eyes narrowed, “How come you didn’t get here sooner, like the rest of us? That other Meigi Touga was really mean to Konoe! He made him wear a collar and then choked him in the arena before he could sing! I think he hurt him after, too. I heard him crying.”

Shiki choked his Sanga before he could sing? For what purpose? Was he truly that foolish? If wished purely for power, then preventing his Sanga from singing would be to his distinct disadvantage in attaining it. What would inspire such unnecessary sadism?

“The impostor is a fool who confuses fear with power. He will spend the rest of his days repenting for his sins against your prince,” Nano replied, gazing off into the distance as he savored another sip of fragrant honey, “For those… and other crimes.”

“He deserves to pay for what he did to Konoe,” Asato growled.

“Good! I hope he rots in jail,” Tokino nodded. A sinister smile flickered across Nano’s lips and for a moment, his eyes shone bright purple. He wondered if they would be comforted or horrified if he assured them that their wishes would soon come to pass.

“Oh! Here comes Prince Konoe now!” Asato’s voice perked up, “I’m so glad he’s okay! I was really worried that he wouldn’t make it to breakfast after his night with Shiki.”

“Thank goodness!” Tokino echoed, “I was worried Shiki would injure him, too. He looks pretty good!”

“Konoe _always_ looks good,” Asato chimed happily.

Nano followed their line of sight towards the cat in question. When their eyes met across the hall, he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing double. If it weren’t for the fact that he could see quite clearly that Leaks and his husband were seated at the head table already, he could have sworn he was looking at Leaks himself… at least as he looked from his younger days.

The young prince was pointed in his direction almost immediately by his red-haired father. Nano stood to meet him, taking his hand and replying with his name as he had been instructed after the little kitten introduced himself as Konoe. His touch was soft and gentle, even after the horror of what had just befallen him… and knowing now what would surely await.

Yet when the young prince looked into his eyes, Nano did not see fear reflected. Was this strength, he wondered… or simply naivety?

“The sins committed against you are already too numerous for one who has done nothing to deserve them,” Nano ran his fingertips lightly along the kitten’s outstretched palm, “Those whose hearts are filled with fear are often cruel to others to mask their own weakness. But it is a fool’s disguise.”

“…He was cruel, yes. But father told me that you were dealing with Sh- I mean, the impostor, personally. Thank you, for that. You have my gratitude.”

The poor kitten couldn’t even bring himself to say Shiki’s name. He _was_ traumatized, even if he didn’t look it. Likely what came next would only make things worse. A sad smile flickered across Nano’s lips.

“Do not concern yourself with the likes of him. His fate has been dyed by his own hand.”

“…Thank you, again. I’m happy to meet you, Nano of Meigi. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Nano smiled softly. A trickle of violet coursed through his grey irises, but was quickly gone. Such innocence. Had he himself ever been so innocent? It was hard to believe now that a being as desecrated as himself had ever been so pure. Poor little kitten. To smile so sweetly for a demon… unaware that the hand he had just taken had so recently been dripping with blood.

But after all, what was this cursed ceremony but a betrayal of innocence?

The others may not have been devils underneath, but they wore disguises just the same. The gleam in the older tiger Touga’s eye when the prince approached his table was unmistakable. It was like looking back in time, only now, he could see so much more than he had before.

When he took his seat, Nano noticed that the others all seemed to be piling food on their plates from the various bowls scattered about the tables. It probably looked quite strange that his own plate was still empty, so Nano chose a pink flower from the bowl so elegantly placed before him at the table’s center and took a small bite.

“Um…”

Nano could feel the eyes on him before he saw them. Tokino and Asato were both staring quizzically. _Again_. Nano sighed. What was he doing wrong this time? He glanced around the table for some sort of hint and realized his silverware was untouched.

That must be it.

Calmly setting the flower down on his plate, Nano picked up his knife and spoon. He was more familiar with chopsticks at this point, but he remembered using these sorts of metal instruments years ago. It was still a bit awkward to hold the flower down with his spoon to get the dull knife to slice through it through it, and it crushed more of the petals than it sliced, but after a few tries he succeeded. Using his knife to scoop up a bite onto his spoon, he plopped it into his mouth.

Alas, the two faces were still turned questioningly in his direction, watching him with twin unreadable expressions. Not knowing what else to do, Nano simply held their gaze and stared back blankly at the judgmental kittens, picking up his cup of honey and taking a sip. They quickly lowered their eyes under his gaze and returned their focus to the food on their tables.

“…I want one, too.”

Asato reached over to the bowl in front of him and took a white flower.

“Asato! Um…” Tokino glanced alarmingly between the black cat and Nano, lowering his voice to a whisper as he hissed, “…I think those are just supposed to be decorations.”

“Why?” Asato asked, taking another bite. “They’re on the table with the other food. _He_ ate one. I want to eat one, too.”

“What? No! _Asato_!”

“…Here, you try one, Tokino.”

“I’m not eating a _flower_!” Tokino hissed.

“Why not?”

“…I don’t know!” Tokino’s pale skin had taken on a pink flush, his eyes darting about the room at the other guests as if he expected to be scolded.

“Then try it! I did it! You said yesterday that it was rude not to at least try the food on our table.”

“…Okay, fine! I will!” Tokino snatched the offered flower from Asato’s claws, plopping the whole thing into his mouth in one quick bite. Apparently, Nano noted, the use of silverware was not necessary for dining on flowers after all. That was a bit of a relief.

Nano took another sip of honey and plucked a blue flower from the bowl, munching idly on the blossoms as he watched the other guests.

“Er… What exactly do you eat in Meigi when you’re home?” Tokino asked.

“…Omelette rice.”

Truthfully, as a demon, Nano didn’t need to eat _at all_. But sometimes, when they had enough food, he would share a meal with his lover after he helped him to gather the ingredients and prepare it. He could still taste food, after all, and he did derive some measure of energy and comfort from it.

“Oh… I see. We haven’t had that so far this week. It’s probably not fancy enough.” Tokino knitted his eyebrows. “…What else do you eat?”

“… _Only_ omelette rice.”

The cats exchanged another odd glance, but the rest of the meal passed in relative peace and tranquility, much to Nano’s relief. Perhaps, once he finished his cup of honey, he should take the opportunity to explore the castle grounds before joining the others in watching the upcoming arena battle.

* * *

Shiki screamed in frustrated rage in the empty prison cell. He was exhausted, exposed, cold, sore, and still painfully aroused. Despite the chains that bound him being fairly loose, the limited mobility that prevented him from closing his legs or reaching his own genitals was infuriating. To his horror, four large cats had come into his cell earlier with the intention of forcing him to eat some tasteless porridge and drink some water. He refused on principle, until they held him down and he saw the tube and funnel they intended to shove down his throat if he disobeyed.

Worse, Shiki still wasn’t wearing anything, and every time one of the greasy old bastards so much as brushed up against his cock, waves of throbbing pleasure radiated from his groin. The men seemed to find it hilarious, poking and pinching his most sensitive areas, remarking over and over that he seemed to be enjoying his stay at the palace. He refused to respond, looking away, snapping and glaring back menacingly when they grabbed his chin and forced him to turn his head. Being at the mercy of those nameless nobodies was almost worse than being forced into becoming a demon’s whore. He hadn’t been sure until they left that they wouldn’t rape him, especially after they pried apart his cheeks and started prodding his still-dripping entrance with their rough, dirty fingers. Never in a million years would he have imagined that he’d actually be _relieved_ to hear someone arrogantly state that his body ‘belonged’ to _anyone_ , much less his most hated enemy.

Trash, all of them. They weren’t worthy to touch him and they knew it. That, at least, gave him some small degree of comfort.

When would Nano return? How many hours had it been? What the hell kind of sadistic torture did that sick bastard have planned next?

* * *

Nano was silent as he wandered about the castle grounds. It was foolish to expect anything here to be the same as it was after so much time had passed. Yet he found himself gravitating towards the same locations, over and over, following the ghosts still lurking in the darkest shadows of his memories.

The beautiful grove of cherry trees he had loved had been cut down, replaced with unnatural geometric hedges that formed a strange maze. He thought he was seeing things at first, or perhaps he was misremembering their location, so he kept walking. Something inside of him broke when he realized they were gone.

Each year when they bloomed, the sakura’s beauty overwhelmed him nearly to the point of tears. It was such a short, brief time, but Nano had drawn so much inspiration from it in those years that even now it remained etched in his memory. He used to write, paint, and sing as he watched the blossoms fall and fade… contemplating the fragility and impermanence of life. There was a certain tragic beauty to the transient scene that had always appealed to him.

Looking back, Nano wasn’t certain he fully comprehended the meaning of his own idle poetry. Just another foolish youth filled with innocent longing who thought he had the whole world ahead of him… He admired the blossoms’ transience, yet in his heart believed that such splendor would be eternal. After all, surely he would be around to admire this beauty the following year, and the year after that…

And now, all of it was gone. And that foolish kitten had long since fallen far from grace, disillusioned to such idle fancy.

Life was short and cruel… a beautiful illusion that snared the hearts of all mortal souls, filling them with the vain belief that it would last forever and someday they could have it all… refusing to believe that the end lay just around the corner.

A large stump was hidden among fragrant jasmine vines… the last remnants Nano had of that blissful naivety. He sat, closing his eyes as he allowed his body and soul to be enveloped and caressed in the pleasant floral aroma of jasmine blooming at the height of summer.

Long ago, he begged to sleep outside among the falling sakura blossoms. To his delight, his wish had been granted and a small but elegant bed draped in pure white was brought outside for him to spend his nights enveloped by nature. Even after the flowers fell, he lived for the nights he could fall asleep to the sound of crickets and frogs, gazing at the stars through the canopy of leaves overhead.

The jasmine that seduced his senses now wasn’t the same… but perhaps it was too cruel for young Sanga to be reminded year after year that they, they, like the cherry blossoms, were also fated to sacrifice their purity at the height of their power and beauty.

…Where did the little Sanga prince go when he wished for tranquility? When the stresses of palace life became too much, and the world came crashing down around him…

Nano had such a hidden place, once, but without the trees he wasn’t sure if he could find its entrance. Was it now somewhere hidden in the hedges? Or perhaps in the bamboo grove beyond… a small cave, easily missed. Perhaps it had been sealed over. He had never told anyone about it, but surely in all this time someone else had discovered its existence. There was another entrance, after all…

A cheer went up from the distance, and Nano’s eyes shot open, instantly torn from his thoughts. The arena trials must have begun while he was lost in nostalgia. Hurrying his pace, he made his way to the colosseum.

A beautiful golden light enveloped him as he walked, warm and soft in its embrace… though a bit hesitant. Young. The little Sanga must be singing, yet Nano was still a ways away from the arena. The kitten was strong. It was no wonder so many had made their way from all across the continent just for the chance to meet him. Even if they were not chosen, the memories of his power would linger in their hearts forever.

Once Nano made it inside the arena, another battle was beginning. Leaks was standing on the dais beside Shui, waving his hands as another monster appeared in the ring.

Nano made his way quietly towards Tokino, Rai, and Asato near the front, where he assumed he was expected to sit. Thankfully, the little orange haired cat caught his eye and gestured at the seat beside him. Both Asato and Rai were too enraptured with Konoe’s song to notice his presence. He could feel how it touched their hearts, wrapping them in its golden embrace, even if it wasn’t intended for their ears. Tokino was clearly enjoying the show as well, cheering wildly, though his interest did not feel as all-consuming as it did for the other two. It felt more playful, somehow.

But the song brought other, darker emotions in its listeners to the surface as well. The darkness he had sensed inside Asato before was stronger and more intense under the influence of Konoe’s song. It felt demonic in origins… yet he sensed nothing hostile from the strong black Touga. Nothing but adoration stained his heart. That familiar scent of his was starting to perplex him, almost as if he had met the black cat before… yet he could not imagine where.

“Konoe is amazing! Do you feel his song?” Asato asked him.

But Nano couldn’t answer. His pale lips parted as every fiber of his being was drawn like a magnet to the emotions of the tiger Touga fighting alongside the little prince. He could feel Konoe calling out to him with his song, but the hesitation Nano had sensed earlier in his song was steadily increasing. Alas, the little kitten couldn’t feel what Nano could. He couldn’t feel _anything_ , and that was what seemed to be worrying him.

The Sanga _should_ be worried. With each battle, with each monster summoned, the emotion governing the tiger’s heart grew stronger.

Fear.

Like Shiki, this Touga’s heart was _consumed_ with fear, and it was spreading like wildfire.

Fear, not of the summoned monsters that disappeared so readily in puffs of smoke when they were slain… but fear of Konoe. Fear of his overwhelming power, the likes of which he had never experienced. The kitten kept singing, ignorant to the thickening dread brewing in his companion’s heart, as he cut off his own emotions, refusing the bond… causing the kitten to hesitate in his innocence, afraid he was doing something wrong, worried that he heard nothing from his partner in return. Doubting his own power, wondering if _he_ was the problem.

His parents, too, kept up the game, despite the unmistakable wariness growing in their son’s tone, until at last the red-haired Sanga grasped Leaks’ sleeve and the monsters stopped coming.

The kitten collapsed, and the tiger caught him. The others cheered wildly… but Nano remained deathly silent. His heart sunk.

The tiger Touga carried the kitten away, and Nano lowered his eyes. He could hear the other Tougas speaking to him as though underwater, felt Tokino touch his shoulder, but he was not listening to what they were saying. When he did not respond, they exited the arena without him, leaving him alone.

Nano knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what this pattern meant. It was always the same. An endless cycle of fear and abuse.

Finally, Nano stood. The memory of that helpless kitten in the larger man’s arms, small, pale, with thick, shaggy, dark blonde hair, leaning against the other’s chest, unable to move…

He may as well have been looking at himself.

Suddenly his grey eyes flashed purple as the realization hit and another piece of the puzzle fell into place… one which sickened him to the core. Yet the more he thought about it, the more it fit.

Nano walked from the colosseum as if in a daze, not really headed anywhere in particular, ignoring the voices that called out to him.

Shiki had come to Sisa seeking power. The power of a pure-blooded royal Sanga would indeed have given him much of what he desired. So why… Asato said the mage-lord collared him, choked him so he couldn’t sing in the arena. Cut off his power. Severed that which he desired most…

But why did the fool desire that power in the first place? Fear. And _Nano_ was the source of that fear. What Shiki wanted more than anything was to kill that fear. To give himself dominion over it. To dominate…  _him_.

Konoe was hurt so badly, so seemingly _inexplicably_ , because when Shiki looked at him… he saw Nano. Or at least someone who superficially resembled him… and that fueled his sick obsession.

The fear residing in the mage-lord’s heart was too strong for him to ever conquer Nano himself… except in his fantasies. But here he saw an opportunity he could not resist. A kitten obliged to fulfill those twisted fantasies, whatever they were. A powerful kitten who had been forced to submit, who was too young and afraid to realize his own strength in the face of such overwhelming abuse. Someone he COULD conquer in Nano's stead.

If only Konoe knew what Nano did now… the one lesson he wished he had learned before it was too late and his soul had twisted and tumbled into darkness.

The large tiger’s fear had warped to something else, the same way fear always did when it spied vulnerability. Abuse. False power. An opportunity to take advantage of the source of his fear.

Nano paused in his wanderings, closing his eyes in silent acknowledgement when the little kitten’s pleas reached his ears. Alas, there was nothing he could do to help him now. His fate had been sealed.

Yet he wished so much he could teach the little kitten what he now knew: If he conquered his fear, he could easily beat that Touga, and any other. Even incapacitated. It didn’t matter what state he was in. Once he realized this and disposed of his ego, it became so easy, so _natural_ \- like coaxing music from a violin.

But this ceremony was a farce, an elaborate trap designed to prevent the little Sanga from realizing the truth. All of it existed for one purpose, and one alone:

To keep Sanga from realizing their true power and potential. To put them in their place. To keep them subjugated, compliant, afraid to disobey lest they be justly punished. To convince them that they were inferior, that it was their path to submit. To punish them for standing up for themselves and choosing their own fate. To instill in them the lie that if they were good and compliant and submitted themselves willingly, they would be treated well. And if they did not, they would be torn apart.

It was all a hoax.

This tiger was NOT raping the little prince while he lay incapacitated after his song, unable to move his physical body, because Konoe did not submit. It wasn’t because he was not ‘good’ enough. Not obedient enough. No matter who told him otherwise.

The tiger was doing it for one reason and one alone: because he was _afraid_ of Konoe. Because he felt Konoe’s power in the arena, and that power overwhelmed him. He wanted to extinguish it, to punish Konoe for making him feel weak, to discourage him from fighting back or using that power that so terrified him again… All in an effort to cling to his own foolish illusion that he HAD no weaknesses. That he was invincible. All-powerful.

It was the same as Shiki. But they were both fools to the bone.

 _True_ power was not the absence of weakness. True power came from acknowledging that weakness and transforming it into a source of strength. Without weakness… that strength would never exist.

Konoe’s pain and terror were growing. The Touga was using his strength, his size, his experience to violate Konoe’s body in the hopes of damaging his heart and soul. To _hurt_ him, to _punish_ him for his strength, to make him _submit_.

To run like a coward from his own fear instead of facing it head on.

If Konoe _knew_ that, it would not matter what was done to his body. The cat _could not_ harm his soul. If he acknowledged that HE was not the problem, and ceased to worry and empathize with what his abuser, acknowledging him for what he was… a coward with inadequacy issues trying to usurp his strength, he would remove the tiger’s power over him.

If he bent, he would not break. If he accepted it, he could turn it.

And then… everything would be different.

But…

The little kitten did not know this. He only knew he was being raped. He did not know _why_ , any more than Nano himself had known, so many years ago.

“This has to be a violation of the rules! He’ll kill him!”

Rai was pacing nervously in front of the door he could only assume led to the tiger Touga’s quarters, tail stiff, clearly distraught. Nano had felt this Touga’s bond with the little kitten last night. Heard Konoe’s enraptured song, sung so soon after being tormented by Shiki. There was pain in that song… mixed with tendrils of forbidden pleasure. Undoubtedly, it wasn’t the way either one of them wanted this to happen. Alas, the world was cruel and unjust, and sometimes finding pleasure in the midst of anguish was the only way to survive.

“…Is Bardo hurting Konoe? Why would he do that?”

Asato had followed, though he looked more concerned and confused than distraught. Tokino followed. Asato kept asking if Konoe was alright, but Rai looked near to tears. And when the black cat turned his question to Nano, he could only shake his head in silence.

“This is not how a Sanga should be treated! Sanga are precious! Konoe is precious!” Asato was livid now, yelling to anyone who would listen.

“I agree, but… we can’t do anything about it! Can we?” Tokino asked.

“…I’m getting his parents,” Rai growled. “They have to stop this.”

Rai ran off, and Asato and Tokino looked conflicted again.

“…Will they though?” Asato asked, “They didn’t stop Shiki…”

“I hate to say it, but I don’t think they will. They’ll probably just say it’s within his rights or some bullshit like that.” Tokino was glaring at the door.

…Nano’s ears perked up.

Konoe’s song had changed.

The little kitten was still being raped, his body in agony, but his fear was _gone_ , and he was singing a song Nano had only ever heard come from his own lips.

Konoe _saw_ it.

Nano’s hand clasped over his mouth.

Konoe saw the same thing he did. He saw the _truth_.

The kitten was a child, no older than Akira. No older than Nano himself had been. But even in the midst of this horror, somehow he had seen through the web of lies and deceptions woven to confuse him, to frighten him, to prevent him from daring to so much as _look_ beneath the surface, and he _knew_.

Konoe saw the tiger’s fear as Nano did. He saw through his disguise. And his song had changed into a weapon to use that fear against his abuser.

‘Forbidden magic’ some might call it. Ha. Forbidden… by who? There was only one reason it was 'forbidden.'

It was _strength_. True strength.

The song ended, and Nano was left staring, chills running down his spine, as the others raced about him frantically. He wasn’t sure for how long he stood there, but finally, the kitten’s parents arrived and opened the door. The silver Touga was first to rush in.

A slow smile spread across Nano’s pale lips as the grizzly scene unfurled and he found himself staring in silent wonder.

The tiger was dead, pulled off his victim in a lifeless heap, his pants still around his ankles. The little kitten was dazed, confused, naked, and it was hard not to notice that his plump buttocks were welted black and blue from abuse… those injuries must have been inflicted at least a day ago. Shiki, perhaps? Most likely.

But it didn’t matter. Shiki’s reign had ended.

And _this_ little kitten - this little Sanga he had hurt and abused - had, in only a day’s time, risen from the ashes to grasp something Shiki himself would _never_ come to understand, even if he trained for a hundred years. He was so close to its source, and yet… so far.

This little kitten possessed exactly what his nemesis desired, more than anything else in the universe, but would never so much as taste.

True power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Thank you for enduring all of Nano's introverted musing. It flows so easily when I'm writing. I could go on forever. ❤


End file.
